SOLDIER Daze
by Silver Akuma Kitsune
Summary: This story is about a girl name Angel Fellix who is forced to join SOLDIER as a male by her father. In her entire life, she never had a say on what she wanted or didn't want. Angel struggles through the conflict within herself and everyone around her.
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: I do NOT own anything associated with Final Fantasy.

Prologue

Nervous. That was what I felt as I walked into Shinra′s building. My normally long rich dark hair was cut and my breasts were pressed down by bandages. I was dressed in male clothing and I tried everything I could to act like a man. It was not my idea to join SOLDIER, but since I am the only child in my family, my father wanted me to try and apply. My mother was, of course, against such decisions, but could do nothing to change his mind. I had no thoughts whether to join the army or not. My whole life had been controlled by either my father or my fiancé, who happened to be chosen by my parents. He looked amazing, the most beautiful creature I have seen, but... his heart was tainted and dark. He treated women like property. He was a rich man with power, owned a company in Midgar. Father was attracted to his wealth, to the reputation he would bring to the family- to him, but not me.

My fiancé actually did not approve the thought of me joining SOLDIER, but he was growing old and was desperate in getting a young woman to be his wife. The moment I reach eighteen, I would leave Shinra and get married to him. In a way, I was grateful to be here or I would have been married to the man already.

″Name?″ I snapped out of my thoughts as a man in a Shinra uniform looked at me through thick glasses. I gave him my name- it was conveniently a unisex one- and he nodded, checking it off his list. ″Age?″ I answered more of his questions and was given a card key to the room 666. My feet brought me into an elevator and it stopped at the sixth floor. When the doors slid open, I noticed how large the hallways were- in length and width. Slowly, looking at the numbers above wooden doors constantly, I walked down the corridor. When I finally reached my destination, I swiped the card down and the door clicked open. Inside were a bunk bed, desk, two drawers, and a closet. There was also a door that, I assumed, led to the bathroom.

I set my bags down beside the ones that have already been placed and sat on the bottom bunk, wondering what I was to do- who I was going to bunk with. My latter question was answered when a young male with blonde hair who seemed to be a year older than me stepped out of the bathroom with only a towel to cover him. He looked at me with rapt eyes that were filled with utmost shock. Without a word, he ran to get his clothes and went back into the bathroom. I sat rigid with an unreadable expression on my face. Was he my roommate? Damn, that was embarrassing...

When the teenage male came back out from the bathroom, his cheeks were still painted pink and his eyes looked down at the floor. ″Err... Sorry about that. No one told me I was going to have a roommate today,″ I heard him mumble. Without replying, I stood up and left the room, ruffling my hair absentmindedly. The people here were not how I imagined they would be. Was everyone this timid or was he an exception?

I didn't come back to room 666 until late at night, where I was caught after curfew, but was also let go when they knew I was new. When I arrived, I looked at the lump that was covered with a blanket on the sheet. Without disturbing him, I climbed the short set of steps up the bunk and lay down. No thoughts entered my mind- undecided whether I was serene or empty. Slowly, my eyes began to shut and soon, I was asleep.

The next morning, I was woken up by an alarm clock. I knew I was not the one who set it, seeing as I did not bring one with me. ″Sorry...″ I looked down and saw the boy get up without looking at me. My eyes followed his form into the bathroom and out again when he was done. I did not move or make a sound until he was out the door. Where was he headed? Practice did not start until a few hours. The sun has barely risen and he was already gone.

Not until there was minimal time to get to the training ground, did I get ready and made my way there. Most of the cadets were already standing obediently in a straight line. The instructor was nowhere to be seen. I stood at the end of the line and waited. The man we were awaiting was well built. He had light- coloured hair and eyes, complimented with tanned skin. A stern expression adorned his face, but I failed to be intimidated. "Straight line, you maggots!" he shouted. I looked down my right and saw the line was already as straight as one can make it. ″I SAID STRAIGHT LINE!″ Several people shifted, trying to comply with his demands. ″I can't believe I was left with a bunch of worthless trash, this year...″ I heard him mutter under his breath. ″My name is Paul Hasten, but none of you will be addressing me as so. You will call me Sir and nothing else. Do you understand?!″

″Sir, yes sir!″ I heard myself say, along with everyone else.

He continued to speak. It was unimportant what he spoke of. I felt myself drift off into my thoughts until he screamed loudly in front of me. ″Do you think you can possibly be a SOLDIER if you are not listening to me?″ I did not look him in the eye, instead; I focused my sight at the stain on his uniform.

″Sir, no sir,″ I answered.

″Well, why don't you be the first person to try my new training program. Understood?″ He did not wait for my reply. Without acknowledging many pairs of eyes following him, he picked up a sword. ″I will be using this sword to attack you and you will defend yourself armless. Got it?″ Once again, I did not have time to reply as he charged at me with the sword raised. My feet leaped away from the oncoming form. I continued to dodge him until his patience worn thin. ″I said defend yourself, not run like a little puppy!″ My courage began to built up and I stood firmly still, waiting for him to come close enough for me to make my plan work. When he was only but a few steps away, I slammed my hands together at the striking sword, capturing it between my hands. There was pain, but I could not comprehend it too well from the adrenaline rush. "You think you can match the strength of one who has been training in Shinra for seven years?″ I felt my arms tremble as more force was put into the blow. Finally, my limbs gave out and I quickly moved to the side, avoiding the blade that created a rather large crack on the cement ground. ″Do you all see how weak you are without me training you? DO YOU?!″

″Sir, yes sir!″ was the chant I heard, but my own voice was not present.

″Now, you are all to pair up and fight without weapons,″ he said, before taking off to get his clipboard.

I watched as everyone was paired up, except me. Apparently, there were an odd number of people in our group. Shifting from one foot to the other, I debated whether to inform Hasten of this situation. It seemed I did not need to when he came up to my side and hit me hard on the head. ″Didn't I tell you to get a partner? Are you defying me, now?! Or did you enjoy the beating you got from me?″ Beating? He had done no such thing. The sword did not injure me the way one would call a beating.

″Sir, everyone is paired up, sir,″ when I spoke, he gave me a look of distaste.

″Then that is not my problem, now is it?″ he sneered at me. ″I want you to solve that problem, NOW!″ I closed my eyes and gave him an affirmative answer.

Without hesitation, I walked over to a pair of people and inquired if I may be included, but they shook their head, unwilling to associate with the person our instructor seemed to hate the most. With a couple of fail attempts, I decided to give up and walked back into the Shinra building. I went into my room and lay on the bottom bunk, ignoring the fact that it was not mine. When boredom crept at the back of my mind, I took out a book and began to read. My reading section did not end until my roommate came in, he was surprised I had arrived earlier than him. Slowly, the rest of the door opened and I saw a dark haired man walk in from behind him. He was equally as shock when he saw another person in the room.

″So, you decided to skip, eh?″ he said with a grain. ″On the first day, too.″ I looked at him, but spoke no words. ″Oh? You're a quiet one like Spike here?″ Spike? Was that the blonde's name or was it because of his hair? ″I'm guessing you're new since I haven't seen you here before. Where are you from?″

I looked down at my book for a moment, but closed it when I realized I would probably have no time to read with the man in the room, who seemed to be extremely talkative. A sigh escaped my lips as I slowly answered his questions. He was surprised to know I was from the same town ″Spike″ is: Nibelheim. What surprised him more was the fact that neither ″Spike″ nor I knew each other's names. He made it his business to introduce us. ″This young spike- haired buddy of mine is called Cloud. Cloud, my new acquaintance and your roommate is called...″ he trailed off, trying to figure out what my name was. I had clearly not stated it to him. ″Eh, what's your name, again?″

With another sigh, I leaned against the wall that was beside where the bed was situated. ″My name is Angel Fellix,″ I stated.

″Angel? That's a pretty feminine name, but I guess it suits you,″ he spoke. ″Oh! I forgot to introduce myself! I'm Zack Knightblade.″ I nodded at him and waited for anything else to disturb me from my peace. ″Hey, Spike, it's getting late. I think I'm gonna go and get ready for bed,″ Zack said, ruffling his hair with his hand.

After he left, no words were exchanged between Cloud and I. It seemed like a mutual silence- a wordless compromise for peace. I climbed off Cloud′s bed, placed my book under my pillow and retired. I heard a soft click and the light was nearly nonexistent. Cloud quietly slipped under his covers and his even breathing was heard. My eyes were closed, but my brain was unwilling to rest. Thoughts of my family and the future I would lead filled my mind. I imaged a similar life I am living, with no freedom and bending to all the men's whims.

As dawn began to first show its appearance, I noticed how my mind did not give in to sleep the whole night. By the time Cloud was awake and ready to go, I was once again reading my book. He left without speaking to me, but I did not dwell upon it. The silence was nice.

The next few days passed similarly. The instructor, Paul Hasten, hated me as much as the first day and no one seemed to want to be close to me in any way. Even at the cafeteria, they would all leave whenever I am around. Zack, however, would come have a one- sided conversation with me whenever he could. Every once in a while, they would speak of a man named Sephiroth who was the infamous general of Shinra. I have only heard of the powerful man from SOLDIERS and cadets in this facility, but never had a glimpse of the man himself. Curiosity peeked through the mountains of barriers. Who was he? Why did everyone praise him so? Whenever I inquire these questions to Zack, he would ridicule me on how clueless I was. And if I asked Cloud, he would only look away with a faint blush adorning his cheeks.

″Hey!″ I turned around and saw Zack running toward me. He did not look like he had anything better to do than disturb me from my peace. ″Are you going to do anything this evening? No? Well! Let's hand out with me and Cloud and I'll introduce you to some of our friends! If we are lucky enough, Sephiroth might even take some time off from his work and come!″ The only part that interested me was how I may be able to meet the general everyone spoke about. ″In the mean time, let's go and find Cloud and we'll hang out together.″ Not until now, did I realize I had no say in any of his suggestions. He dragged me off to a random direction and only stopped when we saw the familiar blonde- haired teenage boy. ″Cloud!″ The one being addressed turned around and waited for us to catch up to him. ″How are ya today, spiky!″

″Fine,″ my roommate answered in a soft voice.

″Great! Angel here is gonna hang out with us in the evening!″ Zack said with much enthusiasm. Cloud stole a glimpse at me, but did not share the same optimism as his friend.

That evening, Zack dragged me to his evening activities with Cloud silently tagging along. We arrived at a SOLDIERS' dorm where the party already began. Men were eating chips and drinking vodka and whiskey. ″Guys, this is Angel. I want all of you to treat him nicely, alright?″ They all gave him a positive reply, but one seemed to know a bit about my history in Shinra and he was not afraid to speak his thoughts out loud.

″Isn't that the guy Hasten always picks on?″ the red- haired man inquired. Zack gave me a questioning look.

″Yes,″ I gave him a short answer. The moment Zack heard this, he looked furious.

″What?!″ he exclaimed. ″That bastard! I'll show him to pick on one of my friends!″ Friends? When had we decided that? He barely knew me! Besides, what can he possible do about it? ″Reno, tell me when he teaches his group!″

″It is alright. I do not mind.″ A surprised look from Zack was my response. I did not understand his concern. Back at home, I had no friends and men had all the power in the family. We had no right to argue and doubt their decisions. Although our family acted this way, the entire town would probably disagree with our policies.

The entire night, we had fun chatting, eating, and drinking. I was quite anxious and hopeful, wondering if Sephiroth was going to show up. My hopes were shot down when there was not even a glimpse of the general. He remained unknown to me for quite some time. Even though I tried to ignore how Cloud's eyes sparkled whenever Sephiroth was mentioned, curiosity once more sparked inside me. Was it because the man is Cloud's hero? Did Sephiroth save the teenage boy's life at one point? I did not know, but it felt like I needed to obtain such knowledge. Never in my life had I felt such craving. It brought excitement and fear inside me.


	2. Chapter One

Disclaimer: I do NOT own anything associated with Final Fantasy.

Chapter One

Soon, several months passed by and there was no sign of the infamous general. Cloud and Zack would regularly speak about him, but it was all repetitive, giving me no new information to fill in the blanks in my head. Why was this man so special? Vaguely, I remember my father mentioning his name somewhere along my lectures of how to become a good SOLDIER and to never let anyone know my actual gender. The memories were hazed and unrecognizable at the moment, so I decided to dismiss my thoughts until I could properly gather them into something more coherent. At the moment, it is better to concentrate on the training program Hasten has organized for us.

″Run faster! Even a girl can do better than that!″ Hasten shouted. Not until now did I realize my instructor is sexist, bias, homophobic, and prejudice. He seemed to think I fit under homosexual because of my feminine traits. My bounded chest has been trying to break free from its bonds, but I only retrained them further. ″If you don′t finish in the next five minutes, you will be running another fifty laps!″ This challenge would've been easy, if it wasn't for the fact that we had already ran forty- five laps around the entire Shinra field.

The next five laps had been extremely difficult with an extensive amount of time. No one had finished the rest of the run in the time given. It meant that we all had to skip dinner for the additional fifty laps. By the time I finished, it was already late at night, many cadets were still running- some were walking leisurely and had already given up. When I entered the small room I had been given, I could not get my legs to climb the ladder, so I collapsed on Cloud′s bed. He was currently not present, so I assumed he was at another one of Zack′s evening parties. Slowly, my eyes drooped and I let the sandman gain control.

Early the next morning, I sat up and felt the full effects from the running take over. I let myself fall back on to the pillow, The scent that filled my nose was foreign to me, which made me realize I was not on my own bed. It took me a few seconds to remember I had slept on Cloud′s bed, but where was he?

I slid off the bed and saw that Cloud was sleeping peacefully on my bed with his face buried into my pillow. My lips gave a small upward tug before settling back to its neutral position. ″Cloud...?″ I climbed halfway up the steps and shook him. ″Cloud, wake up. Your instructor will not be happy if you are late.″ It took me several tries before he began to stir from his slumber. He slowly sat up, rubbing his eyes, and looked at me.

″Nnn?″ Cloud grunted. He looked at me and let out a small yawn. The young cadet looked at the clock and froze. There was a mere half hour before training. He jumped out of bed and hurried off into the bathroom. I watch as he rushed around the dorm, trying to look presentable. My own presentation was horrible, but I made no effort into getting to Hasten on time. Only when Cloud departed did I begin to wash up and change. By the time I arrived to my instructor, I was late and he was absolutely furious.

Hasten did not speak a word to me at first, but silently advanced. ″I see you would like to volunteer yourself again. Is that it?″ A sadistic grin slowly made its way to his lips. ″Now, stand in front of me.″ With apparent nervousness, I complied. ″Now, class. I would like you to see what happens to people who are never on time and have no talent what so ever.″ Fear showed in my eyes. I could not predict what he was going to do, other than cause me pain. ″Don′t take your eyes off us, now!″

By the end of the class, it felt like I was punched and kicked around more than a punching bag would be. Bruises painted me black and blue. Several cuts were visible from when he used his sword. Besides the physical pain, emotional pain was also present. People around me would always point and mutter. I tried to ignore them, not wanting it to bring me down, but the more they spoke, the more it hurt. The rumours spread like fire among the Shinra grounds. By the time spring came, almost every cadet knew my name, along with several SOLDIERS. Hasten did not lessen his torturous actions. Every time I came back from training, Cloud would stare until it was not longer news to him. Zack was severely concerned about my health. The bruises and cuts would heal, but new ones always take its place.

I walked along the shoreline of the lake that resided near Shinra grounds. I had decided to skip training for today and let my wounds heal. The physical pain was only a portion of the reason for my procrastination. The worst rumour I have heard now was how Hasten used me as a sex toy and how the only reason I was getting beaten was because I was not obedient. Of course, I knew this was not true and Zack and Cloud knew it was not true, but the rest of the facility contained no knowledge of the truth. This brought my nonexistent reputation down a whirlpool of lies.

Thoughts continued to swim around in my mind as I wandered off into a trail that led into a forest. I have never been there before and curiosity slowly smothered my thoughts. What could possibly be in there? Were there monsters? As the trees came closer, I stopped right before it, peeking into the darkness. I could not see anything, but there was a small tug at my chest. I did not know whether it was fear, excitement, curiosity, or something completely different. All I understood was the fact that something was calling me to go in there.

My boots crunched against the pebbles and dry dirt. I heard nothing as I walked further and further into the unknown. There were no birds singing, no rodents squeaking, and no four- legged creatures galloping- absolute silence. Subconsciously, I continued on. My feet seemed to know where they wanted to go, whereas the rest of me was following in a trance. The darkness grew and the trees thickened within every step I took.

Suddenly, a faint whisper reached my ears. It was not coherent, but there seemed to be something entrancing about it. The tug on my chest seemed to grow stronger and I allowed it to be in control, not caring whether it was leading me to danger or not.

The trail finally ended in front of a beautiful clearing. The sunlight broke through the tall trees and the animals all bunched up in this magnificent area. They stiffened and stared at me as I emerged from the darkness. My eyes raked across them, wondering why they seemed so afraid.

"Mother… Please… Leave me alone…" A voice pierced through the silence. I looked around me, trying to identify the origin. "I can′t do this…" It was apparent the owner of this velvet voice was a male. I could not find a definite place where it was coming from, but I walked toward its general direction. "Mother… Don′t make me do this…" A frown marred my features when I heard this. Mother? I did not understand anything that was going on. Was this the person who is frightening all these animals? Was it someone else- something else? I could not get any closer when a hand came down on my shoulder. My throat swallowed down a scream and I looked behind me to see familiar blue eyes. I sighed and glared at him.

Just as I was about to say something to him, he placed a gloved- finger in front of his lips. I knew he was curious on what was happening as well. We slowly resumed our quiet steps into the darkness where the man spoke. "There is someone here, mother? Who are they?" My heart froze. How did his mother know we were here? "Eliminate them?" My heart dropped this time. "I will kill them if you like. Yes… I will." Zack grabbed my hand and we ran out through the clearing and out of the forest. Fear still invaded my mind.

I looked at Zack, wondering how he was dealing with this. The dark- haired man had an unreadable expression on his face. "Why did you go in there?" he inquired. I gave him a surprised look and shrugged. "Why aren′t you are training?"

"I got tired of being the punching bag he never had a chance to break," I casually answered. He looked at me and closed his eyes. "Zack… what is going on? Who was that?" He did not answer. Perhaps unable to. "Zack…?"

Finally, he looked at me straight in the eyes. I was never one to hold eye contract, so I turned away, but he placed his hand on my chin and stabled it in front of him. "That was the general. No one knows why he is here all the time. The last person who came in here was rumoured to have gotten kill." Zack's thumb rubbed my cheek lightly. "I don′t want you to get hurt, so please stay away from this place. I highly doubt the general will show any mercy." I bit my lower lips and nodded. Zack grinned at me and let go. He walked away, but motioned for me to follow. "Come on. If you wanna ditch, I′ll show you where you can go!" I complied. He brought me in front of a building. There was nothing particularly special about it, but as I stepped inside, I knew why he brought my here. The lobby was filled with arcade games and a pool table. "This is where I go when I′m bored." He pushed my back lightly, urging me to go on and try out the machines. I did as he wanted and found that it was indeed very entertaining.

The day passed away quickly with Zack by my side. He showed me how to play everything I did not know, which were actually all but the shooting ones. I have never been to such a place in my life. Father was too strict to allow me to go. "Here." He handed me a bag of chips and pop. It seemed to be what he eat as a stable diet. "Cloud is probably gonna flip if he doesn′t see us, soon." I nodded and we made our way into the dormitory building. We went into my room and saw Cloud writing rapidly on a piece of paper. "Hey, Spike. What are you doing?" The teenager did not seem to acknowledge him until finally, his hand stopped moving and his clear blue eyes looked up with utmost innocence.

"I was just writing a letter to my mom," he replied, before looking at his words- filled sheet and signed it. "Where were you?" Cloud looked at me. "Your instructor didn′t look too happy when you weren′t there." I shrugged. Hasten was never happy when it comes to me. Cloud frowned and ignored me, once more.

I wordlessly went into the bathroom and came back out several minutes later. Not until now did I feel fatigue. It brought my entire body down. I barely found enough energy to climb up the steps and lay down on my bed. Quietly, I heard Zack and Cloud conversing. There was not much to hear, so sleep came quite quickly.

The next morning, I woke up to the face of Cloud who let out a yelp, fell, and landed painfully on the floor. He rubbed where he landed and slowly stood up. ″S-sorry,″ he stuttered. ″Zack called and told me to check on you...″ I tilted my head and waited for him to resume. ″He... didn′t really tell me why, but you seem okay to me...″ A smile made its way to my lips and I nodded. ″Did something happen yesterday?″ I shook my head, unwilling to tarnish the general that was in his mind with what Zack told me. Cloud gave me a curious look, not believing what I told him, but decided against questioning.

After our conversation one- sided conversation, I got ready to face Hasten for the day. He looked just as I thought he would when I arrived. The instructor increased his usage of me as his punching bag as rumours flew. No one understood why he did what he did. Perhaps he was abused as a child and saw me in him..Perhaps he just hated me with a passion. Perhaps he knew I was a girl pretending to be a male to join SOLDIER. Who knows?

I walked away from all the chattering people when lesson was over. There was never anything for me to linger for. No friends. No companions. Nothing. The only partner I had for this was Hasten and he was as brutal as ever. He simply _enjoys_ my pain.

Soundlessly, I wandered the grounds of Shinra, unwilling to enter my dorm. The time with myself is what I treasured the most, even though it does get lonely at times. When I am with myself, time stops and it feels as if I was free and not forced to be who I do not wish to be. Having time for myself gives me a sense of control, something I never have in reality. I cannot help but sometimes hate how cheerful Zack is, but... there are times when I envy him. He can get along with anyone and everyone without trying. Friends and companions swarm him like bees to honey. Then there is Cloud. He is quiet, but people are attracted to him in some way. It is as if everyone is clad in armour and Cloud was an enormous magnet. Only people who have decided to take off their guards can resist.

″Angel!″ My thoughts shattered at the sound of my name. I turned around and was greeted with the hateful and well- envied man. ″Wanna spend the evening with me and my friends again? Cloud will be there!″ As hard as I tried to decline, it never came out. All I could do was nod my head and allow him to drag me. Why was I so weak?

When we reached our destination, Zack opened the door and I was greeted by familiar faces. The only male I remember the name to was Reno. He was the one with red hair and wanted to be a Turk. I was quickly reintroduced and the names Rude and Elena came up. They were also aiming to become a Turk and were Reno′s two best friends. Suddenly, I became envious again. I wish to have best friends- people who I can communicate with. Someone for me to tell my feelings and secrets to.

″Hey, wanna play strip poker with us?″ I looked at them and shook my head. There was no way I would take off my clothes. They would immediately know I am a girl. ″Come on! It′s gonna be fun!″ I declined. Reno looked at me with a bottle of alcohol in hand. ″How old are you anyway? You′re kinda small.″

My lips formed a thin line. ″Fifteen.″

Reno nodded thoughtfully and said, ″Cloud is pretty young, too, sixteen, I think...″ Cloud did not say anything to reassure him, but Reno did not seem to care. He shrugged and went to play cards, ignoring me.

By the end of the night, I was bored. I had decided not to join any of the activities. Cloud and I walked to our room and nothing was said between us. He went into the bathroom first, then I went. When I came back out, he was already asleep. There was not much I could do, so I followed his example and drifted away.


	3. Chapter Two

Disclaimer: I do NOT own anything associated with Final Fantasy.

Chapter Two

As time passed and a year of my life has been spent in Shinra, the test to qualify as a SOLDIER was coming. I did not feel excited, but Cloud seemed ecstatic to participate in the exams. It was not only him, but the entire cadet population was delighted to have a chance to join SOLDIER. Zack would come over after training to help Cloud and I prepare. There was a written exam, practical exam, Mako tolerance, and a small battle in teams against each other.

Aside from the exams, mother mailed me several letters and my fiancé sent letters that tried to persuade me to come back. Father did not seem to care that his only child is training to become a SOLDIER, a male army. From what I heard, the Turks are much easier for females. They deal with guns and not just using swords with brute strength. Even so, before all this happened, I have never thought I would have such a twisted life.

″Angel! Angel!″ I heard Zack continue to call me. My head rose from the pillow I was resting on. A pounding feeling erupted in my head. ″You don′t look too well... I′m sure your instructor won′t mind you skipping one day.″ I stared at him with a glazed look in my eyes and shook my head. ″Why not?! If you want, I can personally tell him you are sick.″ I didn′t answer; instead, I lay back down and closed my eyes. ″Angel, you have to rest up for the exams that are coming IN A FEW WEEKS!″ Zack sighed and left the room when I didn′t reply.

A few minutes later, I felt myself slowly falling back into the sleep that was trying to consume me. Not until several hours later did my eyes open again. I woke up feeling the headache pound annoyingly. ″Here...″ I looked up and saw Cloud holding two pills and a glass of water. ″Zack told me these pain killers will make you feel better.″ I gratefully took them and a few minutes later, the drug′s effect became apparent. With persistent fatigue, I climbed down the steps and drowsily walked toward the bathroom. I looked at the mirror and saw a girl pretending to be a boy with semi- short hair, pale face, deep eyes, and cracked lips. The image looked horrible. I took a shower and let the lukewarm water cascade down my hair and back- the bindings that held one of my feminine traits was off. After the shower, I felt much more refreshed. I put everything back into place and left.

″Angel...?″ I was startled when Cloud called the name he has never spoken. ″Are you feeling better, now?″ A nod came his way and he smiled. ″I′m glad. Do you want to come with me to go see Zack? Unless... you want to rest some more...?″ A pink tinge appeared on Cloud′s fair- coloured face. When I didn′t answer, the colour on Cloud′s face darkened and spread. ″Or not?″ His voice was a mere speak by the time he uttered his last word.

I felt my heart clench at the sight of Cloud′s fallen expression. ″Cloud, I-″ A sudden knock on the door stopped me from continuing my statement. Cloud quickly opened the door and a familiar black head popped in. He had an annoyingly delighted grin plastered on his face.

″How are ya, my shy little friends?!″ His voice irritated me in every way possible. ″Aren′t you happy I dropped by instead of waiting in my lonely room for you?″ A sigh escaped my lips as I ruffled my hair and walked into the bathroom. I fixed myself up before coming back out. Cloud and Zack were conversing with the latter′s tone quite loud. They were so into their conversation that my departure came unnoticed to them. I wandered the empty corridors, staggering every once in a while. Whether it was a coincidence or not, Hasten just so happened to be in the same hallway as me at the ground floor. The man looked as if he was about to erupt from anger when I came into his sight- line. He came over with a red face and incoherent words filled my ears. His spit splattered on my face, but I didn′t speak a single word or moved in the slightest way.

″Are you listening to me, maggot?!″ Hasten shouted when my eyes had a glazed look on my face. I felt light- headed and lack of energy. ″Why did you miss today′s lesson?″ He grunted and an idea seemed to fill his head. ″How about I show you what we did today?″ Before my dazed self can puzzle up an answer, his fist came slamming down on to the side of my face. I didn′t even stumble as my entire being met the cold cement floor. No energy let me get back up. My head began to spin and a numb feeling developed on my injured cheek.

When I woke up, my head hammered painfully and my cheek pulsed agonizingly. No thoughts invaded my hazed mind. ″Hey...″ Zack′s voice was heavily lined with concern. ″You′re not having a very good day, are you?″ I didn′t think it would be a good idea to shake my head, so I gave him a soft affirmative reply. ″I′m sorry I didn′t tell your instructor about you being sick. I didn′t think he would be so harsh.″ Zack sat on the edge of my bed, dangling his legs absentmindedly. ″I didn′t take you to the hospital because I wasn′t sure you like doing there. I have a friend who absolutely detest going to the doctors!″ He continued to explain to me what had happened after Hasten hit me. ″At first, I thought he killed you, but your hand was twitching slightly, so I knew you weren′t dead.″ Zack rambled on until he noticed that my eye lids were beginning to droop. ″Get some rest, now. I′ll be back later to check on you. I told Cloud to give you your medicine at the appropriate time already, so no worries,″ with that said, Zack left the room.

I didn′t go to sleep like he told me to. My mind was restless as thoughts crashed at me all at once. What would have happened if Zack had taken me to the Infirmary Wing instead? Would the doctors know that I am really a girl? What happens if Shinra found out? Would I be executed? Kicked out? I did not know the answers to these questions, but I knew my consequence would be severe., Either Shinra will not be content with me or my father. I did not know who could deal the worse punishment, but I knew I had to make sure my secret would not be revealed.

My mind continued to ponder the conclusion as I stared blankly at the stained white walls. I failed to notice a small- framed teenager walking in. He looked at me and sighed. His pale hands wrapped around a small white bottle and filled a glass full of water. He walked over and tapped me on the shoulder. My thoughts were completely shattered as I fell back into reality. Cloud watched me with his vibrant blue eyes- innocence quite evident. ″This will make you feel better.″ Not until now did I realize a faint hammering feeling returned in my head. I gratefully took it and thanked him. He spoke no other words to me, but walked away. My body realized against the half flattened pillow.

The room was quiet as neither of us spoke. Our mutual; understanding was nice. The silence was broken when Zack came tumbling into the room.

″How are you feeling, now?″ his loud voice was unpleasant and the pounding of my head increased. Cloud told him to be quiet, which made Zack remember how ill I was- physically, mentally, and unbeknown to him, emotionally. ″I guess you′re probably not well enough to come with us to Reno′s?″ I nodded carefully. Zack seemed thoughtful for a moment, debating over what to do.

Cloud decided to save Zack from overloading his brain and said, ″I can stay tonight and make sure she is okay.″ The dark- haired man was thrilled with this suggestion, but I wasn′t. I didn′t want to be a burden to my roommate. The evening get-togethers were extremely fun. It pulled our spirits up after a hard day of training.

″I will be alright by myself,″ my voice was soft as I objected. ″Nothing is going to happen to me. It is not like Hasten is going to burst through the door of a cadet and beat him up.″ Zack gave me a doubtful look. It was obvious he wanted me to be supervise. ″Really. Besides, I enjoy the solitary atmosphere I will be having. It allows me to relax and find myself.″ The jolly man sighed and nodded in defeat.

″If anything happens to you, expect a ″I told you so″ Oh, and call me or Cloud when you are in trouble or just plain bored,″ Zack said while handing me a small slip of paper that had the scribbles of two phone numbers. ″We′ll be going now! Remember, call!″ He was out the door with a pale- faced teen. I let out one of my many sighs and settled on the bed. The book I had been reading was done. There wasn′t much left I could do in the tiny dorm we were supplied with.

The time ticked on slowly as I sat on the flattened mattress. Every second was like a minute and every minute was like an hour. An eternity seemed to pass before a knock on the door held my interest. There was nothing special about the way the person knocked, but something told me to ignore it- that if the man came in, I would be facing consequences. My guy feeling was telling to my stay where I was. I would have listened if it was not for the fact that I was too bored to care. My feet made their way to the door and my hands opened it. There was no precise description on what happened when I fell to the floor. Adrenaline rushed in my veins as I picked up the phone from the table and ran to the bathroom. I locked the door and took a deep breath. My fingers reached into my pocket- taking out the white sheet of paper. I began to dial, but the remaining numbers were incoherent. I guessed the rest of the digits and waited for the receiver to answer.

″Hello?″ a deep velvet voice reached my ears. Fear was evident on my face when I realized that this person was neither Zack nor Cloud. ″Hello? I heard him once more. A loud band on the bathroom door brought a squeak up my throat. ″If this is a prank, I will-″

″Help!″ I shouted.

The man did not reply for a mere second, but his voice was firm when I heard it again. ″Where are you at the moment?″ I gave him the number of my dorm and the phone went dead. All I could do was pray for him to make it here in time. Hasten was about ready to shed blood- my blood. The fear escalated when a large crack pierced through the door. Hasten′s furious voice could not compare to the volume of my pounding heart. Finally, with a few more hits, the door collapsed.

″You cost me my job!″ he began. ″You ruined my reputation and I will make sure you will suffer as much as I did!″ I backed away until the back of my knee reached the bathtub. ″I′ll kill you!″ his arms stretched forward and I felt myself tumble backward- head smashing against the cold tiles. A thin trail of blood streamed from my wound. My vision darkened, but unconsciousness has yet to completely claim me. I heard a beautiful voice fill my ears. It was there, but it was not. I could not comprehend the words that flowed like silk from his lips. Faint buzzing noises slowly cloud my sense of hearing before the darkness completely engulfed me.

"Angel?" A soft moan escaped my lips as my eyes opened. Why did it seem like everything bad is happening to me? ″Thank God, you′re okay!″ My vision finally began to focus. ″Hasten is officially banned from Shinra for life! I can′t believe he did that to you! Oh! And how come you didn′t call me? I told you to!″ Zack rambled on, but a small piece of information caught my ears. ″Of all people! You called the General! How did you get his phone number?″ I looked at him in confusion and fished out the paper he had given me. ″Give me that!″ Zack snatched the slip from my hand and continued on speaking. ″Can you not read or something? It′s six, three, five, nine...″ He paused and squinted at his own scribbles. ″three, seven, two?″ He looked again and shook his head. ″That can′t be right! I did NOT write this! Where′s the paper I gave you? The one with neat writings?″ I gave him a dull look. Neat writing? His chicken scratch nearly cost me my life! ″So... this is really the sheet I have you?″ He gave a nervous chuckle when I nodded. ″Okay... so it′s not your fault...″

″Zack, just shut up,″ I said with little emotion. He complied, realizing his rant was just digging himself into a deeper hole. ″Umm... was he angry? The General... I do not think he would be happy being disturbed by a cadet like me...″ Zack shrugged.

″He didn′t seem angry, either,″ Zack stated. ″No one really knows what that man is thinking. Talking to him is like talking to a stone wall. Of course... you would probably get more emotion out of it than him.″ He began a second rant. I sighed and relaxed on my pillow, praying for someone to come in and interrupt him. Cloud took this very moment to come in and I immediately deemed him my saviour. He did a double take and dragged Zack away from my exhausted body. ″Hey! Let go!″ The blonde continued to drag the talkative SOLDIER out. Zack′s voice could be heard within a three floors radius.

Cloud came back into the room several minutes later. ″Umm... The General... he left you a note...″ He handed me a white envelope with my name on the front. It read:

_To Angel Fellix,_

_First of all, I hope you are well. If Knightblade has not told you yet, Hasten has been permanently banned from Shinra grounds. What he had done was unforgivable. Second, I would like to see you in my office the day you receive your exam results. My residence is on the thirteenth floor, seventh room to the left. Please ask Zack for the invitation you will need to access my floor. _

_Sincerely, _

_The General_

Why would he wish to see me? Did I do something wrong? ″What did he say?″ Cloud inquired with curiosity flaring in his eyes, but it quickly disappeared and replaced by a soft blush. ″I mean... you don′t have to tell me...″ The stain darkened and spread.

″He just wished me well and to see him,″ I answered with a small smile.

″See him?″ Once again, Cloud′s eyes were the main source of his emotions. ″Why? You're not in trouble are you?″ Even though he seemed concerned, a part of him was excited. He absolutely idolized the General, Sephiroth. ″Will you... get an autograph... for me?″ His voice turned into a mere squeak by the end of the simple request. I nodded in response, which brought a delighted expression on his face. He impulsively hugged me, which made my whole body rigid. Cloud froze as well when he realized what he had done, but did not move. ″I missed you.″ Confusion was the only thing I felt when he spoke those words. I did not understand them. Why did he say it? ″I really missed you.″Cloud broke the embrace and looked into my eyes, searching for the reaction I could not give. He looked depress as he turned away and walked out of the room. What was I to say? I had not expected him to say that.

For the next few days, Cloud and I acted as if nothing out of the ordinary happened. We spoke little to each other, while Zack always try to find a way for us to say something. ″Let′s play Ring- Around- the- Rosie!″ Zack suddenly suggested. I gave him a dull look at the name of the childish game. ″Come on!″ He reached out to hold Cloud and my hands, but we shrank away from him. Zack sulked before suggesting another pointless game. This time, it was ″Hide- and Seek.″ ″The two of you have to relax! You′re too tense all the time. Man, I wish my words would get through.″ Cloud sighed and gave me a quick glance without being caught by Zack. I tilted my head at him, but be spoke no words. ″Oh! Oh! I know! How about...we spar then? It′ll be fun AND good training!″

Cloud nodded his head and looked at me, again. I shrugged. Training was probably a good idea. Who knows how difficult the exams are going to be. I heard there was a possibility that we may lose our lives.

Zack led Cloud and I to a gym I have yet to see. There was no training equipments visible, but several people were fighting with swords of all kinds. The SOLDIER walked into a dark room and produced three swords. They were all different in almost every way. One was extremely broad and weighed the most. Another was thin and weighed the least. Finally, the last sword seemed to be right in between. Zack chose the broadest sword and Cloud decided on the medium one, which left me with the thinnest sword. I did not mind. It gave me more speed and used less energy.

″Alright, who wants to go against me first?″ Cloud gave me a look, silently inquiring if I wanted to go first, but I shook my head. He stepped forward and faced Zack. The fight took a while. Zack fought carefully against the thin teenager. He gave out constructive criticism whenever it seemed necessary. ″Alright, Angel. You′re up next.″ I was less enthusiastic about sparring, but chose to give it my best. Once again, Zack gave out constructive criticism, but less than Cloud. The blonde did not seem happy that he did worse than me. By the time it was over, my roommate and I were exhausted. Even with a light sword, it was hard going against an experienced SOLDIER.

Cloud and I bid Zack "goodbye" and left. The night was calm and I felt strangely at peace, not like I had just fought the hardest in my life. I smiled at the sensation and savoured it the best I could as sleep claimed me.

XxXxXxXxX

Ah, I read somewhere the Zack's last name was Fair? Sorry if that is true, but I wrote this entire story before finding out.


	4. Chapter Three

Disclaimer: I do NOT own anything associated with Final Fantasy.

Chapter Three

_His eyes gleamed dangerously. Murder was clearly evident in those bright Mako green eyes. His entire being was radiating a terrifying aura. Never in my life had I possessed such fear. Never in my life had a I imagined encountering such a horrifyingly powerful man. From his beautiful silky silver hair to the cold black leather boots. From his pale porcelain skin to the famous long sword that was strapped to his side- sheathed, but still intimidating. I prepared myself to see the worst._

_The man′s boots ′clicks′ echoed the nearly empty Shinra corridor. He had one hand on the hilt of his weapon and one hand on the sheathe. His advance toward his prey was enough to make the prey shiver in fear. The predator unsheathed his sword and struck. Blood splattered across the white walls. The liquid slowly dripped down and puddled on to the cement floor. He made his way to the next victim in line. One by one, their body fluids painted the once- white walls. The man did not stop until he reached me. His eyes were emotionless- completely unaffected by his murders. He reached out a hand to me and whispered, ″Come...″ His voice was deep and like velvet. It made me relax, yet put me on the edge. I took his hand and he pulled me up with tremendous ease. ″Mother is waiting.″ We walked on ahead and stopped in front of a dark haired man who had a pair of glasses resting on the tip of his nose. The man who help me close to him handed his me his sword. ″Kill him.″ As if I was a marionette and he was my puppeteer, I raised his sword and felt it slash across the trembling man′s flesh. It was like a hot knife through butter. The thrill that ran through me was indescribable. I wanted more of it and the man by my side gave me just that. He led me down the stairs. We kept moving forward until the sight of countless computers and men in white lab coats reached my eyes. The thing that truly caught my interest was a tank filled with green liquid and a light- haired... woman? She did not look like anything I have seen. I looked at the name plate above the tank: JENOVA. Why is this silver- haired angel showing me this? I did not seem to understand anything that was happening__ around me. ″Be my angel,″ was the last thing I heard before my vision faded to black._

I woke up with wide eyes and looked at my surroundings. ″Who was he?″ was the question that swam furiously in my head. My alarm clock suddenly began to ring, halting me from my thoughts. In a daze, I got out of bed and did what I usually do in the morning. Cloud seemed to have already left, leaving me alone in the familiar secluded feeling. When I arrived to where my training usually took place, I saw the very man that haunted my dreams. Many people form my group was trying to speak to him, but he never replied. Was he my new instructor? Unknown excitement and fear clutched my heart. The emotion grew as he looked my way; causing the two of us to lock eyes.

″Everyone, seeing as how your previous instructor have been fired for inappropriate behaviour, I will replace him until we find another suitable teacher.″ His voice brought me into a trance. ″Line up. I want to see what you can all do.″ No one dared to defy him. One by one, the males fought against the angel. The outcome was predictable, no one had a chance against him. ″You. Come here. You are the last one.″ I stepped forward and felt the stares of all my peers. Perhaps they were wondering if he will treat me like Hasten did. ″Ready?″ he spoke and I nodded in response.

My body took the stance I have come to become accustomed to whenever I fought against Hasten. It was effective when used for hand- to- hand combat, but crumbled when faced against a weapon. I was glad he decided not to use his sword as my legs charged at him. He made no move to dodge; instead, he observed my movements. At the last moment, he seemed to have disappeared. My ears twitched slightly and I turned around to block a well- served punch. The pain was nearly unbearable, but I continued on. My body moved out of the way and placed some distance between us. My eyes searched frantically for a weak spot, but found none. Uncertainly, I charged once more and stopped a few feet from him. I noticed how his muscles relaxed before dodging. Quickly, I moved away from his attack and switched to offense. My legs put more effort into speeding up. My arm formed a fist and hit him before he was able to disappear. My attack seemed to trigger his reflex when he grabbed me and flung me away like a rag doll. My body attempted to upright itself before landing, but was unsuccessful. I laid on the ground in a daze. A small trail of blood stained the cement. The murmurs of my fellow peers were incoherent. I tried to keep myself from losing consciousness, but the darkness that pulled at my vision seemed to be stronger than I thought.

″Stay awake,″ the beautiful voice said. I looked at him with half- lidded eyes. He placed a hand on my forehead and a warm sensation filled me. When it was over, my head no longer felt as if it was being crushed by an anvil. My vision cleared and I looked into beautiful green orbs. ″I apologize for my rash actions. Please, forgive me,″ he stated. I slowly sat up before nodding. He watched me for another moment before looking at everyone who were staring. ″Get to work! Anyone who is found slacking will be running until you drop. Understood?″

″Sir, yes, sir!″ everyone, including me, shouted. They each partnered up like usual. I stood awkwardly alone in the presence of the temporary instructor. He looked at me with emotionless eyes and took his fighting stance. My eyes widened as he charged at me with inhuman speed. I let my instincts take over and quickly moved out of the way, stumbling ungracefully. He continued to attack until my legs collapsed beneath me. My breathing came in fast, sharp pants. The man stood before me under the light of the setting sun. He glowed like the angel I thought he was. His gloved hand appeared in front of me and I took it with gratitude.

″Alright. All of you may leave, now,″ his voice boomed through the evening atmosphere. In groups, the people walked away. Some were throwing glares at me while others gave me looks of spite. I did not understand the reason for their hate toward me. Had I done something wrong? ″Are you going to leave or stay here for the rest of the evening?″ I looked at him with a faint blush on my face and scurried off.

When I was no longer in the view of that man, several males who were in my cadet section came over to me with sneers marring their faces. ″You, little tramp!″ one of them spoke. ″Did you know that because of you, I had gotten these bruises? I know you are the one who chased off our precious instructor. Was he not giving you enough satisfaction?″ I backed away from them, searching for an escape route.

″You, stupid bastard, got my uncle fired!″ I looked at the bronze- haired male who spoke. Uncle? I was not given the chance to speak when a fist came my way. My eyes closed, expecting pain to erupt, but none came.

″Hurt my friend and I will personally see to your demise.″ Relief filled me when I saw Zack in front of me, holding on to the fist with one hand. ″Now, leave before I get angry!″ The cadets scrambled away in fear of the SOLDIER. Zack turned toward me with a large grin. His mood swing was certainly surprising. ″You seem to be a magnet for trouble, huh?″ I sighed and nodded. ″Well! Let′s get you back to Spikey. He was actually the one who was worried and asked if I can help find you since I had too much free time and he had to study.″ I did not know why Cloud was suddenly concerned with my well being to this extreme. He would care less when we first met.

Zack stood protectively adjacent to me as we walked through crowds. ″Ignore them. They have no life!″ He spoke loud enough for the people to hear. They shot me a look of disgust, but dared not make eye contact with the dark- haired SOLDIER. ″Angel... is something going on with you two?″ It took me a moment to realize what he was speaking about.

″Frankly, I do not know, either.″ Zack lifted an eye brow at me and shrugged.

When I walked into the bedroom, Cloud sprung from his chair with a relieved expression plastered on his face. His eyes flickered over to my companion out the door and tried to suppress his excitement. ″You found him.″ Zack grinned an nodded his head. ″I... I′m glad.″

″It′s a good thing I arrived just in time, too! He was being bullied by a bunch of thugs.″ Cloud did not look happy hearing this, but said nothing. ″Spike, I want to know what has been going on with you, right now.″ Zack suddenly inquired. Cloud have him a puzzled look. ″You′ve never acted like this before! Is it ′cause of the exams? They′re not THAT hard, you know...″ The addressed boy sighed and shook his head.

I, too, was curious on what was troubling my roommate. Cloud refused time and time again to confess, even with much persuasion. Zack grew frustrated, but decided to vent his anger by sulking. When I looked at Cloud′s face, I knew it was something serious. Perhaps... it was something he is not permitted to tell. He held a secret that is being kept inside him. Sooner or later... it was going to come out... Most likely at the worst possible time.

When Zack finally decided to leave, Cloud looked absolutely exhausted. I sympathized him. Having Zack nag was unpleasant. ″Angel?″ My eyes flickered to Cloud. ″I″m sorry for being so secretive.″ I smiled and reassured him that it was alright. ″Thanks for understanding... I swear I would tell you if I could.″ So it was something that had to be kept a secret. ″I′m sure you will find out soon.″ My eyes stared into his own innocent sapphire eyes. How did I get attached? Just several months ago, I wanted nothing to do with Shinra, but I am not quite sure I can leave Cloud and Zack, now.

″Cloud, do not worry about it,″ I stated. ″Go to sleep, you look exhausted.″ He nodded and laid down on his bed. Just when I thought he was asleep, his body bounced back up. A look of alarm crossed my face. ″Are you alright?″ He did not reply; instead, he went over to his desk and began to flip through his agenda booklet.

A gasp came from between Cloud′s lips, which made me worry. Why was he acting so oddly? ″I can′t believe I forgot it!″ My eyes blinked furiously and mind about to blow from confusion. ″It′s Zack′s birthday tomorrow!″ My hyperactive eyelids calmed, but my eyes widened as a new dilemma made itself known. ″What am I gonna do? I don′t have a present and I don′t know what to get him!!″ Cloud tugged at his hair.

I groaned and rubbed my temple in irritation. Why had that stupid, spike- haired talking machine not say anything about his birthday? I would have been certain he would boast about it! What was I to do, now? Should I make something for him? Go out and spend some Gils? GIVE him Gils and let him buy what he desires? My head pounded annoyingly.

Cloud gave me an exasperated look, but even I could not do anything about it. With a sigh, I bid the anxious teen goodnight and slipped into my protective cover. Zack was such a troublesome creature... My thoughts began to blue and sleep finally calmed my overused brain.

″Wake up! Wake up!″ I groaned sleepily at the teenager shaking me violently. ″What should I do?!″ It took me several minutes to figure out what he as speaking about. Today was... What day was today? ″Angel! It′s Zack′s birthday and I still have NOTHING!″ Oh yes... His birthday was today... How inconvenient. ″Wake up!″ I pushed him away and he fell ungracefully on to the floor.

Slowly, I rubbed my eyes in annoyance and glared at the boy. ″What do you wish for me to do?″ Cloud opened his mouth, but shut it when nothing came to mind. There was truly nothing I could do in this situation. ″Cloud, listen. Knowing Zack, he will be happy with anything as long as it is wrapped.″ His bright blue eyes stared at me for a moment before a brilliant grin spread across his face.

″Thank you!″ with that said, Cloud disappeared from the room.

It was peculiar how out of character he was at that instant. Never have I seen him so much emotion in my presence- especially positive ones. I dismiss his odd behavior and rubbed my temple. This persistent headache was beginning to take its toll.

″Angel!″ My head hit the pillow at the voice. ″Are you okay?″ Deep Mako blue eyes reached my own dark orbs. ″Hey! Hey! Guess what day it is?″ With everything I had, I retrained myself from knocking the hyperactive dark- haired male out. ″Guess! Guess!″

I let out a sigh as he continued to persuade me to guess, but it was not something I wanted to be bothered with. ″Could it possibly be...″ Zack leaned in with his face close to mine. ″Your...″ He urged me to continue with delight shimmering in his blue eyes. ″...Birthday...?″ My statement ended with as much enthusiasm as a robot.

Zack completely dismissed my apathetic response and bounced on the ball of his feet. ″Annnnd did you get me anything?″ A large grin stretched across his face.

″No...?″

Instead of the disappointed look I assumed he would have, a snide and mischievous glint appeared in his eyes. ″Then I guess you′ll have to do what I say for the entire day!″ He dragged my off my bed and threw me into the bathroom. ″Hurry and get ready!″

I sighed and complied. He was truly one of a kind...


	5. Chapter Four

Disclaimer: I do NOT own anything associated with Final Fantasy.

Chapter Four

″Hurry up!″ I heard Zack whine as I dragged my feet behind him. We were going to a fancy restaurant with permission from an unknown person Zack refused to say. I did not pry into it further. It is not as if that person can get me out of being the birthday boy′s slave for the day. ″Oi, Angel!″ I looked up and saw a pout beginning to form on his lips. ″I _command_ you to hurry up!″ When I did not, he grew irritated. ″You didn′t buy me a present, so now you have to listen to me! Are you even listening to me?!″

A yawn left my lips, causing him to stop walking and stomp his feet. Could I possibly be the one to blame for the lack of sleep? ″Knightblade, you should be happy I am even going to... wherever your party is.″

″It′s Zack! Z-A-C-K!″ His cries fell into unheard ears.

After nagging me several times more, Zack decided to give up and drag me by my collar instead. When we arrived, the door to the restaurant was locked with the ″close″ sign visible. I could not help but groan at our luck. Zack made a unique sound and pursed his lips. He was obviously not expecting this. I stared at him as he bounced on the balls of his feet. A part of me was wondering if he was going to burst into tears.

″Zack?″

His glazed eyes changed and he glared at the building in front of us. ″Screw this! We can have fun somewhere else!″ Without another word, he dragged me off by my collar again. Why is this happening to ME? Why do I have to suffer with him? ″Hmm... How about here?″ ″No, no. Here? Nah, too dark.″ ″Oh! Oh! Look at that, Angel! It′s looking at me!″ This went on for roughly an hour.

Finally, we settled to just ice cream. I licked at it absentmindedly, staring at Zack who was tackling his seven scoops sundae. He was trying not to let any of them melt, but of course, with the glaring sun above us and the fact that ice cream has the tendency to liquefy, he was unsuccessful. Zack suddenly blurbed out an incoherent sentence. When he realized I did not understand him, he swallowed his mouthful and said, ″So where did Spike run off to?″ I only shrugged at his inquiry. He lifted a dark eyebrow, but continued to devour his food.

His question made me think of where Cloud had wandered off so early in the morning. It was unlike him to leave me in the dark, but usually he was with Zack. What could he possibly by up to?

″Let′s go to that church next! It looks kinda cool!″ It was hard to imagine Zack wanting to go to the sacred structure, but I went along with it since it was his special day of the year.

We arrived at the brown building and opened its beautifully carved doors. The immediate burst of a disgustingly sweet scent filled my nose. Looking around, I saw the culprits- flowers. These plants rarely grow in Midgar, actually, almost NO plants grow here. The air is dreadfully polluted by Shinra and the soil is dry.

″Look at all these flowers! Don′t they look nice?″ Zack exclaimed while prancing in the flower bed. Not wishing to dampen his bright mood, I chose not to answer. ″Come over here, Angel!″ I held my breath and walked over to him. ″Isn′t this pretty?″ He shoved a pink flower, that he had picked out of the ground, closely in front of my face. I shrugged my shoulders, refusing to let any air in or out by speaking. ″I had a girlfriend here, you know?″ This statement surprised me. ″Her name was Aerith Gainsborough. She sold flowers at the corner of some place, sometimes near the theatre; other times near her home. I guess this is where she grew her flowers.″ A dreamy smile wormed its way across his lips. ″But she is the past...″

I frowned at how he ended his explanation and finally opened my mouth. ″What happened?″

″It just didn′t work out...″ His voice was tinted with sadness. ″Her and I are just two different people from different worlds.″ I could not help but sympathized with his situation. It must have hurt separating with the one he loved. True I have never felt that kind of emotion, but by the way he is expressing his feelings, it made it easy to imagine. ″Maybe I′ll introduce you to her sometimes.″

″Maybe...″

″Come on, let′s go somewhere else! I′m bored with all these flower already.″ Zack grabbed my hand and dragged me out. Dragging me seems to be the only way for him to make me move to where he wants to go.

Suddenly, he stopped moving, causing me to crash into him. I blinked a few times, confused. Looking over his shoulders, I saw that a brunette was in front of him with a basket of those church flowers.

″Zack,″ she said. Her voice was soft and melodious.

The addressed man did not reply, he seemed lost in a crowded place. I nudged him a few times, snapping him out of his state. ″Aerith...″

″Zack, it is so good to see you again.″ Zack reciprocated the statement. ″Who′s your friend?″

″This?″ Did Zack just refer to me as ′this′?! ″This is Angel. He′s with me.″

″He...?″ Aerith looked suspiciously at me. I wonder if she can tell that I am really a girl. ″I′m pleased to meet one of Zack′s friends.″ Her hand extended to me.

″Pleasure is mine,″ I answer, taking her hand into mine and giving it a firm shake.

″Zack, I-″

″Sorry, Aerith,″ Zack began. ″I have to go. I promised to meet a friend somewhere in a few minutes. You know Cloud, right? The yellow fluff ball who looks like a chocobo? Yeah, him. Well, bye,″ with that said, more dragging took place.

After the mood being completely shattered, Zack took me back to Shinra. There was not a word said between us, making a terribly awkward silence. ″You know what? I′m hungry again. Let′s go to the cafeteria and see what′s still there from lunch.″ Silently, I followed him and saw that several people were still eating lunch. ″I would like two sandwiches decked with pickles, ham, turkey, cheese, lettuce, tomato, carrots, mustard, celery, beef, and ketchup.″ The lunch attendant and I stared at Zack in shock. ″What?″ The attendant quickly made his food. ″Oh, and I would like a big glass of OJ and a carton of milk.″

″Can you really finish that?″

″Of course!″ a large grin swept by his face. Well, he was back to normal, which was good. ″Hey, look! There′s Spike and Reno!″ I looked over to where he was pointing and saw that the red and blonde heads were, in fact, there.

Zack bounced off with two trays and his drinks. ″Heeeeey!″ They turned and looked relief to see their hyperactive friend.

″Hey, Zack,″ they chimed. ″We were just looking for you.″ Zack tilted his head, wondering what they had planned.

″Here, let me help you with that,″ Reno said, taking Zack′s trays and gave it to one of the later cadets who had yet to get his lunch. ″Enjoy!″ The dark- haired man′s eye twitched. ″Come on!″ This time it was Zack being dragged around. What comes around goes around. How I love karma...

Reno and Cloud led us in front of a building near the Shinra barrack. ″Wait! Wait!″ We all looked at Zack, wondering what he wanted. ″Why are the two of you together?″ An insinuating tone lined his voice. ″Are you two...?″

A dark flush painted Cloud′s face while Reno held a perverse grin. ″Hell yeah! Cloudy boy and I just had the time of our life in bed!″ Cloud′s eyes quickly widened at the red head′s statement.

″N-no! It′s nothing like that!″

Zack nodded his head unconvincingly in response.

″Reno! Let′s just...″ Cloud′s voice trailed, but his hand gestures seem to tell a secret he did not want us to know.

″Right!″ Reno grinned widely, understanding Cloud′s hidden message. ″Don′t distract me again, Zack!″ The scolded individual sulked as we entered the facility. It was pitch black. ″Crap... The breaker must′ve broken... Cloud, come on. Go with me to check it out, you too Angie.″ I could not help but twitch at the nickname, but followed nonetheless. We walked off into a rather random direction. Not long after, the lights snapped on and a chorus of ″Happy Birthday″s were heard.

Zack fell over from shouts. ″Happy birthday...?″ He blinked a few times, not believing what was in front of his eyes. ″You remember my birthday...? YOU REMEMBER MY BIRTHDAY?!″ Zack bounced around energetically. ″Yay! Presents! Presents!″

″Is that all you think about, dumbo?″ Reno remarked.

″Hey! I′m not dumbo, dumbo!″

″Come on, let′s eat before the hot food turns into cold food!″ someone from the crowd of people yelled and a chorus of agreements echoed in the spacious room. Zack nodded and began to stuff his face with food. ″Woot!″

I decided to stay away from the crowd for the greater portion of the celebration. The noise was giving me a headache and I do not usually attend parties. Actually, this might very well be the first party anyone has invited me to. Father and mother never liked me fraternizing with the community around us. I do not even remember if there was anyone my age nearby in Nibelheim.

Cloud. Could he possibly be someone I′ve met prior to arriving at Shinra? Nibelheim is a rather small town where everyone knows everyone else, but I cannot seem to remember... Why...?

A suddenly spray of pink strings covered me. ″Stop being a party pooper, Angie!″ It took me a moment to realize what had just occurred. ″It′s time for the birthday cake!″ Reno took my hand and together, we, along with many other, surrounded the table with a three- layer cake on it. Soon, the birthday song was heard and I lip synced it the entire time. The tune was not completely familiar to me.

″Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday dear Zachary! Happy birthday to you!″ During the name portion, there were also a series of ″dumbo″, ″kiddo″, ″idiot″, and ″stupid,″ which caused Zack to let out a ″hey!″

I watched silently as presents were given to Zack. He received them gleefully like a young child would. Everytime he ripped open the colourfully- wrapped boxes, a different expression graces his face.

Closing my eyes, I tried to imagine a time when I was able to be blessed with such happiness, but none came. Was my childhood that unusual? My birthdays were spent alone, mainly in my room. The most festive one was when mother and father had actually brought a cake home. They said it was baked by one of the residents in Nibelheim. Disliking cake themselves, they had given me the entire thing, which took me three days to eat. There were also never presents. I do not have many possessions. Mother and father gave me what was necessary to live and nothing else. Was this wrong?

My thoughts were interrupted when Zack came flying into me, knocking the two of us down. ″Whatever you were thinking looked like it hurt! No more thinking for you! Thinking is bad,″ he said with a goofy grin. ″I remember when I tried to think once, it hurt my head for HOURS!″

I could not help but grin at him. ″Thank you, Zack.″

″No problem! Now let′s PARRRTTAAAAAY!″ He pranced off back into the crowd.

Nearing the end of the party, many people had left. Only Zack, Cloud, Reno and several Turks, and I were left. We, except Zack, were cleaning up the mess that was left behind. The birthday boy, however, had other plans for his spectacular day. He held out a deck of cards and nagged everyone to play poker with him. ″Come on! It′s going to be fun!″ he exclaimed when we all declined with fatigue lining out voices. ″How about this, we′ll make it STRIP poker! Texas Hold′em Strip Poker!″

Reno perked up a bit and looked around, wondering if anyone else was interested. ″Hey, Elena? You in?″ He wiggled his eyebrow at the only female Turk. She glared at him in return, but with a few nudges, she gave in. ″Yo! Rude! Rude! You in, too? Elena is!″ The dark man looked indifferent, but shrugged. ″Great!″

″Yessssss, Reno buddy! You′re the best!″ Zack cheered.

″Of course I am,″ was the reply

″Now get Spiky and Angel to play!″

″Clooooouuud!″ Reno jumped the poor blonde. ″Clooooouuuddddd! Let′s play poker! Come on, you get to see all of us hot guys without our clothes and ELENA...″ He suddenly trailed off, imagining his co-worker naked.

Cloud shook his head. He did not seem interested at all. When Reno noticed this, he glanced at me with an evil glint in his eyes. ″ANGEL! MY BUDDY! MY LITTLE GIRLY BOY!″ I felt my left eye twitch. ″How about a game of poker with your best pal, Reno and Zack? Remember, Elenaaaaa!″ Not that anyone here can tell, but I was far from being interested in Elena- or woman for the matter. ″Elena! Elena! Eleeeeena!!″ It was small at first, just a weird feeling. ″Anngeeeel! Are you gay or something?! Who can resist seeing a girl naked!″ The small feeling, turned into a twitch at the bottom of my left eye. ″Boobies and ti-″

″Fine, just shut up.″ My voice came out harsher than usual, but it was hard to control it.

″Calm down, man! At least I know you′re not gay!″

Closing my eyes, I took a deep breath. It was hard to imagine anyone more irritating than Zack...

″Alright, since it′s my birthday and I don′t trust any of you with not cheating, I will be the dealer!″ Zack exclaimed, while shuffling the cards. I looked around me and saw that no one had any money out, so I assumed it was purely strip poker. ″Remember, only the winner doesn′t need to take off something.″ He, then, dealt out two hards to everyone. One card faced down, the other exposed for everyone to see. My face up card was the two of hearts and, peeking at my bottom one, I found that it was the ace of hearts. The next three cards were the five of hearts, ace of spades, and four of hearts. Looking at my cards again, I realized that I was only missing one card from a straight flush, but a glint in Zack′s eyes told me he, too, had something to be proud of. ″I′m gonna win this one!″ With that said, a forth card was placed- the five of diamonds. Zack did not wait for a reaction before placing the fifth card down. It was the three of spades. I let out a sigh. So much for the straight flush... ″I win!″ My eyes blinked a few times at the sudden cry of triumph. Everyone had their cards revealed and Zack′s hand was the highest with a pair of aces, resulting in a three of a kind aces. He beckoned for everyone off their clothes, but Reno intervened.

″Angel hasn′t showed his cards yet!″ the redhead said.

Suddenly, I felt all the attention turn to me. Did it really matter to them whether I have better cards than Zack or not? They had to take off a piece of clothing either way.

″Come on, Angel!″

I flipped over my mystery card, thinking I have lost, but a chortle made me skeptical.

″Ha! Zack, you lost to Angel!″ Tilting my head, I wondered what they were talking about. ″Eh? Why are you looking at me like that? Don′t you know a straight beats three of a kind?″ When receiving a blank stare, Reno laughed at me. ″Ha! You don′t even know how to play poker!″ I had never HAD anyone to play poker with at home... ″Anyway, Zack take it off!″

I let out another sigh. This was boring. ″I am going to go to my room. Exams are soon, I need to study.″ This was an excuse. I did not plan on studying. The only way to leave this place was to fail the exams, but... a nagging thought in my mind played around with the idea of actually leaving everyone here behind for an unloving family and fiancé.

″But...″ Zack started with a trembling lower lip and glossy eyes. ″You can′t go yet!″

″Sorry,″ I mumbled before departing.

″Hey! That means I win ′cause Angel forfeited!″ loud cries of protest followed his statement.

XxXxXxXx

**Sorry this took so long. I had trouble thinking of writing this chapter. Hope you enjoyed it!**

**The rest will come quickly if there is enough encouragement. I promise.**


	6. Chapter Five

Disclaimer: I do NOT own anything associated with Final Fantasy.

Chapter Five

I could not believe it... I thought being forced into SOLDIER was bad, but this is ridiculous. Father will be extremely content, but my fiancé would not be. I ,myself, am far from being delighted with the results. I stared at the paper in front of me once more. Absolutely ridiculous...

_Congratulations! You have passed the _

_SOLDIER test with distinction. Your _

_results were remarkable. Doctor Hojo _

_will be awaiting your arrival on _

_December 19th for the Makoinjections._

I read on and took out the test results.

_Written Exam: 99_

_Physical Exam: 95_

_Mako Tolerance: 100_

_Practical Experience: 97_

_Exam Sections Average: 97.75_

_(Please see Doctor Hojo)_

In the beginning, I thought if I failed the exam, I would be able to go home. Sure father would severely punish me, but at least I know it would not get me killed. ″Congratulations, Angel!″ I heard Zack burst into the room. A sigh left my lips and I quickly hid my letter and results. ″I heard you passed, but can I see what you got?″ His eyes sparkled with anticipation. I shook my head and sat on my package. ″Was it borderline pass? It′s okay, you know? At least you passed! Spike is still waiting for his!″

″Zack, I am not going to shot you,″ I firmly stated. An annoying whine escaped his lips; followed by a pout. ″Not happening...″ Zack stomped out of the room, but soon came back in with a distraught teenager. Cloud looked as if he was about to cry with his head low, bangs covering his eyes, and a slouched back. In his hand was a letter that had an enormous red word; ″FAILED.″ My sympathy for him exploded. If only we could have switched results, then, everyone would be happy. Too bad that was not what happened.

″Come on, they said you have a second chance!″ Zack tried to raise the boy′s spirit. ″Just ace that mission and you pass! The General and I would be there to help you!″ Cloud forced on a weak smile. ″Angel!″ I saw Zack shower me with his puppy eyes. It did not work. I did not know how to comfort people. ″You′re hopeless.″ A frown settled on my face. It was true. I AM useless. Without a word, I silently left the room. My feet brought me to the training area where Sephiroth had taught us for one day. It had a rather large cherry tree and gave off a sense of peace. I sat down underneath its branches and blossoms. The petals fell gently on to my dark hair. I felt completely serene.

″Fellix, Angel?″ I looked up and saw the closest person to God. His hair cascades down his front and back. A soft glow seems to emit from him under the sun. ″I saw your test results and to put it simply, I was absolutely amazed.″ Why was the man who had substituted for Hasten here? He looked at me and seemed to realize what was happening. ″Did you forget about the meeting I requested?″ This made me freeze. Meeting? The one with the General... My eyes widened as I remembered that it was today. Was this man going to take me to him? ″Come, I believe speaking in my office will give us more privacy.″ I did not understand him until I looked around and saw more than a few pairs of eyes staring at him in awe. My own eyes widened further at his statement. He was the General?!

I followed Sephiroth without a word. I was brought up to the thirteenth floor, but instead of going into the seventh room, we turned the room before it and went in. This room was nearly empty except for a rather large desk, two chairs, computer, and a pile of paper. There was also a couch against the right wall and a coffee maker on the left. Sephiroth walked behind the desk and sat down on the chair and motioned for me to sit in the other chair, which was in front of him. I complied and waited for him to speak.

Sephiroth did not immediately start. Instead, he took the time to observe me, as if pondering- puzzling his thoughts together. I patiently allowed him the time to prepare. ″I am quite certain you are wondering why you are here,″ he paused, waiting for my response. I nodded and he continued. ″First, I would like to congratulate you on passing the examination with astounding results. You have received the highest marks Shinra have ever seen since...″ Sephiroth suddenly stopped, his eyes glazed for a short moment. ″Aside from that, the president and several others have suggested that I personally train you to become stronger. Your poorest point was the physical test, which I can indeed assist you with if you are willing.″ Thoughts and options clashed inside my mind. I was trying to find the easiest way out, but all seemed difficult once I start SOLDIER training.

″I would... very much like it if you help me with my physical training,″ I said, trying to find the correct words to say to him.

He nodded in understanding. ″The next thing I would like to talk about is... the other day with Hasten. Do you know why he has been abusing you in such ways?″ I shook my head and his lips twitched downward. ″Very well. Now, there is another thing I wish to know. The first time I saw you, when I picked you up. I noticed... features a male would not have. Of course, I have my only conclusion on this, but do you wish to explain?″ My heart raced unconditionally. He knew. He knew I was a girl, but asked for me to say it myself. Should I tell him the truth or should I lie? This was the man who was speaking in the forest. This was the man who spoke about eliminating people with such casualty that one would think it was about what he ate for breakfast. ″Is something wrong?″ I snapped out of my thoughts as I looked at his intense stare.

My throat seemed to suddenly dry up. I tried to form words, but it took me longer than I thought it would. ″I... You... I think you already know this... I am...″ My mind began to blank. A part of my refused to continue, but another part was telling to that it did not matter whether I confessed or not. I took a deep breath and began again. ″I am a girl.″

Silence filled the room. He did not speak and I was too frightened to break what was created. There was absolutely no noise between us. After a few more minutes, he finally spoke. ″Yes, I figured as such.″ Sephiroth leaned back and rubbed his temple with his pale slender fingers. ″Now, there can be two outcomes for this. One, I will expose you to the president and you will be kicked out of Shinra or you may even be killed. Two, I can keep this a secret between the two of us and the president will not know about this. Which one would you like?″ I felt that that question was completely unnecessary. My first option has a fifty percent chance of ending my life. The second one was more tempting, but the first also gives me a fifty percent chance of going back home. Of course, then father will punish me for my carelessness. The pros and cons were at a stalemate. ″Have you come to a conclusion, yet?″

I pursed me lips and nodded. ″I will stay if you will keep this a secret.″ He nodded and took a deep breath.

″I was actually hoping you would choose the first option.″ His words puzzled me. Did he want me dead? Was I troublesome for him? ″As you know, you will be injected with Mako quite often, now. Professor Hojo will be the likely person who will do it for you. He is a sly man- brilliant, but cannot be trusted. Because you have a perfect tolerance toward Mako, he may actually go beyond what he is supposed to do. His craving for knowledge is at a whole different level.″ His eyes looked at me, hoping I would understand what he is saying. ″Sometimes, he can do things that you may wish you had taken death instead.″ This made me freeze. Was Professor Hojo this frightening? ″Hojo has the tendency to use humans for his experiments.″ I could not help but gasp. ″Angel, I can tell you are innocent- someone I do not wish to endure his sadistic behaviour.″

Sephiroth stood up and walked around the desk, toward me. He spun my chair around and knelt down, so that he was looking straight into my dark eyes. ″I do not wish for you to get hurt.″ My heart and breathing seemed to quicken. He was leaning closer and it made me nervous. ″Do not become a monster like me.″ I could not process what he was saying. All I knew was that he was too close. ″I do not think even I can protect you from him. Professor Hojo has a great hold on the president. So great that he made human experimentations legal just for him.″ Sephiroth leaned back and took off his long leather coat along with his black muscle shirt. A second gasp left my lips as my eyes saw numerous cuts on his porcelain skin. I could not help but reach out a hand and touch it. He flinched from my cold fingers and I immediately placed my hand on my lap with the other covering it. I muttered a quiet apology, which he responded with a subtle nod.

″This is from his tests. He wanted me to be the perfect soldier. To become the strongest. To be invincible.″ I felt a great deal of sympathy toward him. How long had he been suffering because of Hojo? ″This did not come overnight as I am sure you know... It accumulated over a span of fourteen years.″ Without knowing, tears began to form. How could anyone do this to another human being? ″Do not cry, Angel.″ His eyes were unlike the usual. They were softer- filled with emotions that one never see from the stoic General.

Sephiroth′s hands wrapped itself around my arm and pulled me up. I stumbled and fell straight against him. His arms snaked its way around my waist and his face was buried in my hair. ″I do not deserve these tears.″ His words did not halt me from my sadness. No one should suffer as much as he did. It was unfair. Why was life so unfair to us?!

″I regret telling you this. It is wrong of me to show you,″ he stated. Slowly, he released me from his hold and slipped his upper garments back on. ″If you truly wish to stay after what I showed you, then I will not stop you from continuing your future in Shinra.″ My mind flitted back to the pros and cons. I wanted to stay. I wanted to be by his side when he is in pain. After hearing and seeing what I just did, it was not possible for me to abandon him.

″I will stay,″ I stated with certainty. ″Besides, if I go home now, father will be absolutely furious with me and I would also have to marry to a man I have no feelings for.″ He looked at me in surprise and nodded.

Sephiroth brushed his hand against my cheek for only a short while, but it felt extremely pleasant. He stood up and sighed. ″I am sure your friends will be worry by now. You may go. Your schedule will reach you no longer than next Friday. Until then, relax.″ I nodded and walked away with a last glance at his solemn form.

Just as I was about to press the button for the elevator, I remembered the small request Cloud had made. Quickly, I slip back into his office, which brought another surprised look from him. ″I... I was wondering if I may have an autograph? It is.. for a friend of mine- Cloud Strife.″ He nodded and took a piece of paper from inside the drawer of his desk. Sephiroth scribbled a few words before handing it to me. I gratefully took it and slipped back out.

By the time I saw Cloud, I realized how long we had been talking. It was already midnight and the blonde- haired teenage boy was slumped over in a chair, asleep. Quietly, I crept inside and covered him with his blanket Next, I placed the autographed paper on top of the desk.

After I washed up for the night, I slipped into my bed and fell asleep. My night was filled with dreams that could not be comprehended. They could not be classified as nightmares, but are far from being one′s fantasy. The main character in my dream was Sephiroth...

_″Stay with me...″ His breath brushed against my ear. It felt extremely pleasant. I felt his arms warp itself around me, pressing my body close to him. ″I will never let them hurt you. Just stay with me.″ Without knowing what I was doing, I nodded. He kissed with softly. His lips were like flower petals- smooth, soft, but cold. _

_I turned around and looked at him, a smile gracing my lips. ″I will always stay with you if you promise to stay with me.″ A chuckle left his lips and he promised. He promised to stay with me forever. Suddenly, beautiful white wings sprung out from his back. They were absolutely stunning. The feathers were white with grey tips. I reached a hand to touch it, but froze to look at him, silently asking for permission. He smiled at me and led my hand to those beautiful feathers. They were unbelievably soft. My eyes drooped as I stroked his wings. Suddenly, a quiet moan reached my ears._

_My eyes looked at Sephiroth and saw him with his own pair of eyes closed. His mouth was half opened. When I stopped, he looked at me and sighed. ″Keep going. It feels nice.″ I complied. My eyes closed with his soon after. For what seemed like forever, we stayed in each other′s arms. There did not seem to be anything that can ruin the peace. Everything was like what it should be. I wanted this to last._

_Like any other tragedy, my wish was not granted. The atmosphere drastically changed. The calm spring breeze turned into storm winds. The scent of roses were replaced by smoke and everything felt wrong. _

_I looked at Sephiroth and found that he was missing. No one was with me. No one was in my arms. Fire was blazing around me, but I did not feel afraid. Instead, I felt alone and abandoned. Where had he gone? What was happening?_

_″Where are you hiding? You know I will find you,″ his voice filled the air, over the crackling of the fire. ″Come out and let me hold you. Remember your promise? We will stay together forever.″ I looked around for the man who I belonged to and found him with his sword unsheathed, stained with a red substance. A crazed glint was present in his normally calm emerald eyes. ″My love, let me be with you, once more.″ A part of me felt like running toward him; yet another part of me urged me to leave. This was not the man whom I had fallen in love with. He was lost in the depths of his own mind. _

_I listened to the rational part of my mind and turned around to run, but before I could have moved, he appeared before me. I saw his beautiful wings tainted almost completely by grey. No, there was only one wing. His demonic appearance brought fear into my heart and I felt like I was already captured by him- by this dark side of my love. _

_He reached out his arm and stroke my face, gently. It did not feel like it did. There was no warmth to his touch. ″I found you...″ With his other arm, he raised his sword high above his head and..._

My eyes snapped open. I felt sweat run down the side of my face. What had happened? I looked around me, still on edge, but found that I was in my dorm. My heart beat rapidly as I closed my eyes and tried to calm down. Why did he plague my dreams?

″Angel? Are you okay?″ I looked down and saw a sleepy- looking Cloud.

″Yes. It was just... an odd dream I had. Nothing more,″ I replied. He nodded drowsily and went back to sleep. My eyes closed, but sleep never found me again that night. My mind was too overwhelmed by the dream. It was trying to comprehend what it meant- if it meant anything at all.

After several more attempts to sleep, I climbed down and walked out. The night breeze was soothing. It helped clear my head, leaving me in semi- bliss. My feet led me subconsciously into the forest where the familiar tug was felt. I could not allow myself to stop even if I wanted to. It was as if I was in a daze, once more. The path ended and I was greeted by sleeping animals. I passed the clearing and kept walking. Curiosity slowly peeked as I craved to know who Sephiroth was speaking to that day. Just a little further...

″Angel?″ I gasped and turned around. My eyes was staring at someone′s bare torso that was covered with a leather jacket. ″What are you doing here?″ The man′s green eyes twinkled in the dark. All I could do was stare at him.

With as much courage as I could build up, I spoke. ″I could not sleep so... I... I decided to take a walk. My feet decided to lead me here.″ He looked at me with absolutely no ill- intent. ″Why are you here, sir?″ I said, finally realizing how I indicated no respect in our previous encounters.

″I could not sleep, either,″ he replied. ″And you don′t have to call me ′sir.′ Sephiroth will suffice.″ Numbly, I nodded and stared away from him. ″Put that all aside... You _do_ know that there is, in fact, a curfew?″ My body froze and I gave him a sheepish look. Yes, I knew. I was caught the first day, wandering around the building.

″Will you... punish me if I knew?″

Sephiroth let out a chuckle and shook his head. ″Not unless you want me to.″

I immediately shook my head, but wondered what the punishment was.

″Come then, I would like to introduce you to someone.″


	7. Chapter Six

Disclaimer: I do NOT own anything associated with Final Fantasy.

Chapter Six

Sephiroth led me into the forest where I first heard him speak to his ″mother.″ Why? Was she the person he wants me to meet? Deeper and deeper he led me, the light seemed to have disappeared. ″Mother. I brought her here to meet you,″ he said. I looked around, expecting to see a person, but there was nothing. ″Her name is Angel Fellix.″ Soon, a bright sphere of light illuminated the shadows.

″Hello, Angel,″ a woman′s voice spoke. ″I′m glad Sephiroth has finally found someone he can communicate with.″ I blushed lightly.

″He-hello...″

″Mother, why did you wish to meet her?″

She did not speak for a moment, seemingly to puzzle the thoughts in her mind. ″I need to speak to her, because you need someone to help you. Especially with what I am going to say now.″ She paused in her speech. ″There is a woman name J&a.″ Her voice cracked and became distorted at the name. ″She is not your real mother. I am and I′m sorry I have never been there for you.″ Sephiroth closed his eyes, his facial expression remained calm and serene. ″I was killed by j after you were born. I was so on your well being when he took care of you, but that′s not the reason why I′m here. Several years ago, I predicted a calamity that will take place in the near future and have been trying to talk to you ever since. J&(a have also been talking to you, but please do not listen to her. She will only end up hurting you!″ Everytime she said a name, her voice crackled, making the words incoherent.

″I don′t understand.″ Sephiroth′s response was simple. ″Who? Who is this person you are speaking of? I have not been speaking to any other female except you... and Angel- no one else.″

″She has disguised her voice as mine. She is the one who tells you to kill everyone. Don′t listen to her!″ the voice had an urgent plead to it. It puzzled me. What if this was the impostor? What then? ″I-″ She suddenly stopped and the light wavered. ″Leave! She′s coming back! Please go and don′t speak to-″The glow dimmed, but reappeared seconds later with a tint of gray.

When she spoke again, her intentions were different- more malicious. ″My son, you remember what I told you last timed, don′t you?″

Sephiroth was unfazed by the revolution. ″Yes, mother. It will be done, soon.″ His words puzzled me, but I dismissed it.

″Good... Good,″ she said in an absentminded tone. ″You may leave, now.″ Sephiroth nodded. He took me by the hand and we retraced our steps out of the forest.

″Sephiroth, was she... were they really... different people? The first one and... after the light flickered... Or are they the same person?″

″I believe that the first is my mother, but,″ he paused. ″At time, it feels as though my rational thoughts have blurred with everything that woman says.″ Is there a possibility that that woman can somehow control his thoughts- his actions? If so, who is this woman? What is she and what is she trying to accomplish? ″Do not be bothered by such trivial matters now. I believe you have a mission coming up with Lieutenant Knightblade, Cadet Strife, myself, and several others who are having a second chance on becoming a SOLDIER.″ A mission? With Cloud and... LIEUTENANT KNIGHTBLADE?!

_″So, you decided to skip, eh?″ he said with a grain. ″On the first day, too.″ I looked at him, but spoke no words. ″Oh? You're a quiet one like Spike here?″ Spike? Was that the blonde's name or was it because of his hair? ″I'm guessing you're new since I haven't seen you here before. Where are you from?″_

_I looked down at my book for a moment, but closed it when I realized I would probably have no time to read with the man in the room, who seemed to be extremely talkative. A sigh escaped my lips as I slowly answered his questions. He was surprised to know I was from the same town ″Spike" is: Nibelheim. What surprised him more was the fact that neither ″Spike″ nor I knew each other's names. He made it his business to introduce us. ″This young spike- haired buddy of mine is called Cloud. Cloud, my new acquaintance and your roommate is called...″ he trailed off, trying to figure out what my name was. I had clearly not stated it to him. ″Eh, what's your name, again?″ _

_With another sigh, I leaned against the wall that was beside where the bed was situated. ″My name is Angel Fellix,″ I stated. _

_″Angel? That's a pretty feminine name, but I guess it suits you,″ he spoke. ″Oh! I forgot to introduce myself! I'm Zack Knightblade.″_

A part of me wanted to smash that spike- haired man′s head for not telling me his high position in the army, but another part realized that perhaps this was for the best. There was a chance I would treat him differently than I do now. There was a chance I would treat him similarly to Sephiroth, with respect and admiration, but not as the close friend he is now.

″You will be briefed later on in the week about this. Go get some sleep, now,″ he stated. I nodded in reply and finally felt the fatigue.

The next few days passed quickly. I was annoyed and scolded Zack for not telling me his position. He only have me a sheepish smile. His idea of making up was treating me to ice cream. As I licked at the cold substance, I thought of how I, too, kept a huge secret from him. I was a GIRL. I have only told Sephiroth of my gender and I was pretty sure he has not told anyone.

″Let′s gooooo!″ Zack cried out in excitement.

The mission was today and many of the cadets were excited to get this over with to become a SOLDIER. They pushed each other playfully, teasing, and mocking until Sephiroth roared for them to stop. Everyone stopped, except for Zack who was poking and shoving Cloud. The general gave him a glare, but it was of no avail.

″LIEUTENANT KNIGHTBLADE!″

Zack abruptly stopped. ″Chill! It′s their first mission and my first one since a looooong time!″ Sephiroth growled, but said no more. Instead, he made it apparent that he was ignoring the playful male. I gave a sigh at their behaviour and made my way to the jeeps we were using.

The ride to Nibelheim was dreadfully slow. Cloud, who had severe motion sickness, was having a hard time keeping his meal down. He had his head hanging at the side of the truck, groaning every few minutes- a rather loud one whenever there was a bump. I gave him a look of pity. It must be horrible to have motion sickness. One of the SOLDIERs told me the Mako would cure it, who knows?

″Hey, girly pants!″ I turned my head and looked at the other four people who rode the back of the truck with Cloud and I. ″I can′t believe fucking the general really got you into SOLDIERs. Of course, I would NEVER do that, you fag! I can easily get to SOLDIERs without selling my own body.″ I recognize him as the nephew of Hasten. His bronze hair blew in the wind and his eyes full of malice. He had obviously not forgiven me for his uncle′s unemployment and exile. ″Gonna say anything for yourself?″ His three friends laughed idiotically around him. It was absolutely disgusting to see there are people like him tainting the Planet.

Cloud let out another groan and lifted his head. ″Shut up! Angel got the top marks in all her exams! None of them were marked by the general.″ He ducked his head again when the car hit a small ditch.

It seemed his words were not effecting the obnoxious males. They taunted him for his motion sickness. ″And you′re any better? Geez, how are you going to get on the army with THAT! The only thing you′ll be able to do is puke on your own troops and, if you get lucky, on the enemies!″ Another roar of laughter filled the air.

Several jeeps around us stared at the loud commotion. ″Shut up...″ I quietly said. I hadn′t planned on retaliating, but insulting Cloud was the only thing in my mind.

″What did you say, homo bitch?″

″Shut up!″

The man did not look happy at all. ″And who gave you the right to say that to me, huh? Just because you′re in SOLDIER, you think you′re all high and mighty now? Do you think that?″ I did not answer when he said this. ″WELL, DO YOU?!″ My confidence fell at the ferocity of the inquiry. ″Answer me yo-″

″Leave him alone!″ Cloud lunged forward and pushed him.

″Krawler, you okay, man?″ One of the bronze- haired male′s friend asked.

Krawler growled angrily and was about to launch an attack at Cloud, but it seems my savior does not wish for me to be able to ever repay him. ″The next person I see behaving inappropriately will be kicked off the troop and stranded here.″ Krawler glared into flaming emerald eyes. He challenged the general mentally, but ended up losing when the competition grew too much for him. An irritated whine burned his throat as he looked away and settled for glaring at me instead. The general gave him one final glance, making sure he will not be causing anymore trouble, and turned back to look at how far we were from our destination. ″You got it easy this time...″

Ignoring him, I rubbed Cloud′s back, trying to soothe his illness.

″Spiky, feeling alright back there!″ came Zack′s voice from the passenger′s seat. ″I can hear you all the way from here!″ A chuckle was heard from him.

Cloud gave a loud groan as a reply.

Once we were at the tree line from a forest near Nibelheim, the day had faded away into night. Zack announced that we were going to camp out here. At least five watchers were needed at all times, in case there were any monsters approaching. The shifts were two hours long and I was assigned last shift, meaning I was to wake up at three. It was only nine, but if I wanted to be at my best, I would have to get as much sleep as I can now...

Sleep did not come easily. It seems Zack and Cloud had their shifts now. Zack′s animated voice was loud and piercing. How was I to sleep? It was not only his voice, but the snoring of thirteen other cadets did not help either.

Throughout the night, I stared at the burning fire in front of me. The time passed and my mind wandered every so often. It was not exactly sleeping, I was still aware of my surroundings and every noise made.

″Fellix,″ I heard a deep velvet voice reach my ears. ″Fellix, wake up.″ I rolled over to my back and slowly opened my eyes. A silver curtain was draped around me, bringing a bit of an alarm until I realized it was Sephiroth′s hair. ″Awake...?″ His husky voice made me shiver. What is he doing? A sly grin slid on to his face.

I could not help but blush. ″Y-yes.″ He slowly stood back up with the grin still plastered on his face. Sliding out of my sleeping bag, I ruffled my hair and looked around. Sephiroth began to wake the other three with less care than he had with me. With my arms stretched toward the sky and my body arched, I gave a small yawn. The sky was still dark and did not seem to want to brighten anytime soon.

My eyes stared blankly at the fire, watching it dance in front of me. ″Are you prepared for what′s to come in the mission?″ I did not give him an answer; I did not know the answer myself. What was I to prepare for? Monsters? ″Do you even understand what you are going against by joining Shinra?″ When he, once again, did not receive a reply, his slender fingers rubbed his temple. ″I can never understand why ANYONE would join Shinra. After all the things they′ve done.″ I looked at him. ″The last thing I want... is for them to corrupt you.″ He looked at me. ″I doubt you can even comprehend what they made me go through. Everything they′re done has been less than enjoyable.″

″Why?″ Sephiroth gave me a blank look. ″Why are you so different to me? No cadet... no other SOLDIER- not even Zack- have you ever spoken so much to. Why me?″

The general did not speak. He seemed to be pondering this question himself. What is so special about me that allows him to be so open? ″Perhaps it is because you understand me.″ My confusion did not falter. He gave out a frustrated growl. ″There is just...″ This time, he groaned. ″There is something about you that...″ He stopped again.

″It is alright... You do not have to continue,″ I said with a small smile. ″It is nice to know that you are not pretending to be well... nice. You are not pretending, are you?″ This thought seemed to bring fear.

″No.″ His simple reply settled the doubt.

A blissful look settled on my face, making him stare at me ″Then, I am glad,″ I stated. ″I am glad I got to befriend you.″ He let out a chuckled. ″If onl-″ Before I could finish the sentence, the ground below us began to shake. ″Earthquake?″

Sephiroth shook his head and stood up. The masamune was unsheathed, held tightly in his hand. ″KNIGHBALDE!″

I watched as Zack bolted up from his slumber, his hair and eyes wild. ″Holy shit!″ He scrambled out of his sleeping bag and reached for his sword. ″What the hell do you think this is?″ Sephiroth did not answer him. ″Angel, go wake everyone else up!″ With a nod, I did as told. There were several who have already woken from Sephiroth′s shout and some from the tremendous trembles.

When everyone was awake, I turned back around to Sephiroth and Zack and froze in horror. Everyone around me were searching for their weapons, my own was attached to my belt. It did not seem like my muscles wished to move. They were rigid from... what seemed like fear, but yet, there was something else. Perhaps a certain thrill- see finally be able to see the monsters that plague the Planet?

″Everyone! Remain calm!″ Zack instructed. Cloud was behind him, his eyes held definite fear. ″Prepare yourself!″ We got into our stances.

The creature attacked without warning. Several cadets were quickly thrown to the ground. Sephiroth, in return, went into offensive mode. He made a move to slash the oppressor, but it was smart. The monster threw an innocent cadet at the general, who stopped to prevent harm to his subordinates. It reached out to attack Sephiroth, but before it reached him, I pushed the silver- haired man away. Its claws swiped at me, taking a few strands of hair down, but the most damaging result was when I hit the ground. My head crashed on to a rock. Unconsciousness did not come, but pain did.


	8. Chapter Seven

Disclaimer: I do NOT own anything associated with Final Fantasy.

Chapter Seven

″Get out!″ my head was in a daze. I lifted one hand and felt my hair matted with a liquid substance. My eyes saw my blood covered fingers. What had hit me? ″Go! Go! Go!″ I looked over to Zack who was pointing north. The troop ran and I finally realized the monster who was invading our camp. It was enormous! ″What are you waiting for?!″ My eyes looked at Zack who was only screaming at me, now. Taking a deep breath, I ran north, but looked back at Zack who was walking toward the monster. Sephiroth, too, stood his ground. Were they going to face it alone?

I watched as they spoke together in a quick voice. Sephiroth was shouting orders every once in a while. Their swords did not recklessly hit the creature; it was strategical. The SOLDIERs′ movements were enhanced by Mako, leaving them stronger and faster than any normal human beings. Hit after hit, Sephiroth finally gave a well planned out blow. The monster roared in anger and pain before collapsing- dead. Zack leaned against a tree trunk, breathing heavily. He noticed me watching and groaned out in annoyance. I had obviously disobeyed his orders. Sephiroth walked over to me with his eyebrow raised.

″May I inquire why you have openly disobeyed the Colonel′s orders?″ he did not sound nor look angry. Sephiroth held a steady expression on his face. With several more quick strides, he stood a mere foot in front of me. ″Answer!″

I let out a squeak and backed away, but he reached out and held me in place. ″I... I wanted to know if you will be alright.″ My voice was meek and lined with fear.

Sephiroth replied with no words. He brought his face right beside my ears and whispered, ″It seemed that we made out fine. Do you doubt my abilities?″ My head shook from side to side. ″Good.″ I could feel his breath against my sensitive skin. The general moved his head so that it was positioned right in front of me. My breath quickened and my heart began to skip beats. Why was he so close? Slowly, his lips brushed against my own, emitting a gasp from me. I was certain he wanted to go further.

″Hey, Seph! Stop scaring out little genius!″ Sephiroth backed away with a smirk. A persistent blush painted my cheeks. ″Aww... You got him all red! What did you say to him?″

The general observed me for several moments more before turning to Zack. ″Nothing you need to concern yourself with.″ This clearly did not make the colonel happy. He was one who always need to know. ″Come,″ was all Sephiroth has to say for us to follow him. We headed north and stopped in a town- not just any town, though, it was MY hometown. I scanned the area for familiar faces and saw Cloud with his mother. They looked absolutely delighted! I can only wish for a fraction of that reaction from my own family.

My eyes immediately focused on a different subject when Zack happily made his way to Cloud. The three of them conversed without a problem. Cloud′s mother was beyond content on how well his son was doing. Zack pointed our way and a look of familiarity passed by her face. I did not understand the look. Did I know her?

″Where is your family?″ I turned to look at the general. My family? I have not heard from them for quite a while. ″Your profiled stated that you lived here?″ Absentmindedly, I nodded. They held no knowledge of my arrival. I was unsure whether I should go see them. Would father be happy with my accomplishments? Will I finally be treated with respect?

A sigh left my lips and I inquired, ″Do you wish to meet them?″ The general gave me an answer that stated his lack of caring. ″Well, if you want, you can follow me there. If you do not wish to see them, go wherever you want.″ He presented his answer with a nod. I shrugged and began to walk in the direction of where I had lived.

The house was quickly seen. It was larger than the average houses in Nibelheim. The structure was dark gray with a tall metal fence. I took out my keys and unlocked the gates before stopping in front of the door. How will they react to my uniformed arrival? I slowly raised my arm and gave the door a knock. The general looked around his surroundings. This property was probably the most ominous area in town.

After waiting a mere minute, the face of my mother reached my eyes. She looked as beautiful as ever with her blonde hair and crystal blue eyes. I heard a gasp leave her lips when she saw me. M6y mother allowed us in without a word and directed us to the living room. I saw a man with light brown hair, that was slowly graying, and hazel eyes.

″Father,″ I greeted with an emotionless expression on my face. He looked at me, but it quickly flitted to the man I was with. To put it simply, he was shocked. His entire body was rigid.

My father shakily stood up. ″General Sephiroth, sir!″ The addressed God spoke no words to him. ″I... I welcome you to our humble home!″ Humble? Our house was far from a cover up of modesty. ″Angel! Stop standing there like a food and get him something to drink!″ My lips were pursed, but I complied no less. He was father- he was the _man_ in the family. I came back not long after with a tray of cookies and high quality tea. Father gave me a stern look as I placed it down on to the coffee table.

″Please, make yourself comfortable,″ I said while gesturing for Sephiroth to sit. He did so silently, across from my father.

The man who contributed to the birth of me spoke continuously to the general with adoring eyes. He spoke of our family′s lineage, our honour, His honour, and my failures. There was not one good thing that left his lips about me. Sephiroth held his emotionless mask throughout the entire conversation. Every once in a while, he would put in a word- a compliment for me. Father dared not to question the powerful God, but the displeasure- the hate- was apparent in his eyes and his lips would curl up into a sneer.

″Your son is a pleasure to work with,″ Sephiroth stated. Father stiffly sat in his seat. I was certain he did not believe a word the general was saying. ″In merely nine months, he was able to become a SOLDIER with the highest average.″ He continued to explain how well I have come along.

Father smiled weakly at the intimidating man. ″I′m sure the only reason a failure like him is able to do that is ′cause of your guidance and Shinra′s guidance. Before he decided to join, everything he did was meaningless!″ By now, I was seething with anger, but hid it with a strained emotionless facial expression.

An hour passed and Sephiroth grew impatient. He stood up and politely told my parents that we had to depart. The general led me out and into a nearby inn. UI immediately recognized the building. It was owned by my fiancé′s family. He rarely worked here; he usually hung out in bars getting drunk and seducing females.

″Two rooms under Shinra,″ Sephiroth demanded to the sleeping form who had a hat covering his face. The person startled awake and fell off his chair. Without the head garment, I realized who he was. Fear clutched at me. I turned around, which made Sephiroth give me a puzzled glance. He did not question my peculiar action. After retrieving the keys from the receptionist, I walked away with Sephiroth′s form shielding me from my fiancé′s curious eyes. ″Who was he?″ The general suddenly inquired. I did not reply nor did I look at him in the eyes. ″You knew him.″

A sigh escaped my lips and I slowly nodded. Sephiroth persisted- genuinely curious on my relationship with that man. ″He is the mane I have been arranged to marry .″ I watched as a frown settled on Sephiroth′s porcelain face. ″He is... he is far from faithful. The fact that he is wealthy only makes it worse. Women of every kind swarm around him like leeches. It is utterly disgusting!″

″Oh course, father cares not of his loyalty. All he wants is his name to rise in the social status. Marrying that disgraceful pig is one way. Attending the army is another, especially now that I am in SOLDIER. I never wanted to join them... I thought if I failed the exams by not studying, I could have returned home. God does not seem to like me...″ I trailed off with a second sigh. When Sephiroth failed to react in any way, I glanced at him and saw a thoughtful look mask his face.

Sephiroth and I stepped into our respective rooms without another word. He intrigued me. Never have I met such a complicated man. The general was not who everyone thought he was, but there was just something about him...

My body relaxed on top of the semi- soft bed, slowly dozing into oblivion. Past memories flooded my head. Everything I have done to be accepted, but it was never enough. All the beatings and verbal assaults. Even now, they sting more than anything. Suddenly, soft knocks from the door snapped my string of thoughts. Without thinking, I opened the door and was greeted by the only man I did not wish to see. He looked furious, yet a certain longing- lust- was in his eyes.

″So it _is_ you,″ he stated.

There was little to be done now. ″Yes, Reeler, it is me.″ My fiancé brushed passed me and into the room without an invitation. ″What do you want?″ He turned around, his arm raised and hands opened as he backhanded me. Hot stinging burst from my cheeks No words escaped my lips as he yelled.

″You're so pathetic! Who do you think you are? I didn′t give you permission to leave for that damn army! You are to be wed to ME I am a man with power and I will NOT tolerate your insolence!″ Reeler was seething, but his words meant nothing to me. ″Well?! What are you going to say for yourself?″ There was nothing to say. ″Speak, you whore!″ A blow to the stomach caused my legs to buckle. Gasps roughened my breathing pattern. ″Tell me!″ There was no way I was going to retaliate. This was the way I was taught... Father will be even more disappointed in me if I did anything rash and inappropriate. ″Are you mute now?!″ He gripped my hair tightly within his hand and pulled. ″The only thing you will ever be good for is a good fuck!″ Reeler threw me on to the bed and straddled my waist. Motionlessly, I watched him rip my sweater apart. He was less than happy to see the bindings around my chest. ″Why do you hide these two beauties...?″ I heard him mutter before he tore off the long white strip of cloth. Reeler stared at my bod9y with lust. He proceeded on to my pants and licked his lips in anticipation. ″Mine...″

My eyes closed itself, afraid of what it was about to witness. I awaited the removal of my last garments, but his weight suddenly disappeared. The voice of Reeler was heard, but nothing else accompanied it except for the sound of clothes shuffling. When Reeler finally fell silent, I opened my eyes and stared blankly at the white ceiling. An empty feeling washed over me from the event that took place mere seconds ago.

″Are you alright?″ A gasp left me and I abruptly sat up. The silver- haired angel watched me with no sexual intentions. His eyes never strayed further than my neck line. I quickly wrapped the bed covers around me. My eyes wandered to the fallen form of Reeler. ″He is only unconscious. I don′t believe we should linger here any longer.″

Sephiroth retreated out of the room, allowing me to redress in solitude. He had saved me- something that he was not required to do, but did anyway. I was grateful and owed him my life. He did not seem faze at all, though. It was as if saving someone from their arranged fiancé was something he did in a regular basis. ″Ready?″ I looked up and saw Sephiroth leaning against the threshold with his luggage by his side. ″We do not have time to dwindle. The mission begins early tomorrow and we still need a place to stay for the night.″

″I am sorry,″ I said, looking away. ″I should have told you from the beginning.″ He gave me no response as I picked up my bag. An overwhelming feeling of guilt filled me. The General Sephiroth had saved me while I bring him nothing but trouble. How can he possibly tolerate such a low and pitiful being like me?

As I made my way out the door, he took my bad along with his own and silently led the way out the inn. We walked aimlessly around the town, searching for a play to stay.

″Hey, Angel!″ I turned around and looked at the bouncing man coming our way. ″I thought you were staying at the Hendrick Inn!″ Zack′s blue eyes radiated with innocence and wisdom as he spoke. ″Why are you out here so late?″

I glanced at Sephiroth, wondering if he was going to say anything. ″Do you have anywhere for the two of use to stay? We had some complications at our previous location.″ Zack nodded without prying unlike how he usually was. He gestured for us to follow him. The sigh of a familiar house soon reached my sight.

Zack knocked on the door and a spiky blonde- haired boy poked his head out. ″Cloud, do you have another extra room for them?″ He pointed his chin at Sephiroth and I.

″There′s only one room left,″ Cloud stated.

″I can stay at my parents′-″

Sephiroth cut me off, but did not spare me a glance. ″Zack, I′m assuming you are sharing with Cloud?″ He received a nod. ″Do you mind sharing a room with me?″ His inquiry was directed at me this time. I shook my head with apparent hesitation. There was nothing to fear. I am sure the general possess more honour than to rape the female he saved from being raped.

The young teenager allowed us passage to his home. He showed us the guest room and stated if we needed anything, just ask. I noticed this entire time, Cloud did not dare look at the general in the eyes. Was he shy? Was General Sephiroth not his idol- his hero?

My thoughts shattered when the sight of the general setting his covers on the floor caught my eye. There was no way I was going to let him- the star of Shinra- sleep in a lower position than me. It was unthinkable and a show of utmost disrespect.

I walked over to him and announced my thoughts, but, like the gentlemen he was, he declined. A compromise was not made as I plead for him to sleep on the bed and him stating that it was unnecessary. For several minutes, we had a calm argument on sleeping arrangements. It was not until an immensely irritated Zack open our door with fatigue and murder in his eyes did we come to a conclusion. ″Just share the God forsaken bed!″ he shouted before slamming the door shut. Sephiroth closed his eyes and shifted his possessions on to the twin sized bed. Silently, I did the same.

We slept in an awkward position where out back faced each other, trying to distance ourselves, and a large amount of blanket was used to create a frail wall between us.


	9. Chapter Eight

Disclaimer: I do NOT own anything associated with Final Fantasy.

Chapter Eight

The following morning, I woke up to the sight of washboard abs and a pair of arms around my waist. The soft barrier was broken during the night and we somehow managed to entangle ourselves. Just the thought of being so close to the general brought heat rushing to my cheeks.

I pulled lightly against him, but to no avail. It seemed as if the harder I tugged, the tighter his arms bounded me to him. My next method to depart was to... poke or shake him gently. There was no telling what he would o, so shaking him violently was nearly equivalent to suicide. My attempts to wake him were once again futile.

″Sephiroth?″ He gave me no satisfaction of hearing a response. ″General, sir. Wake up?″ Nothing. ″Roll over?″ He did not budge. ″Let go...?″

″Are you uncomfortable in this position?″ When he finally replied, I squeaked in shock. My cheeks flushed again. This was quite an awkward position... ″It′s still early. Rest.″

I tried to turn my head to see what the time was, but I could not even turn my body enough. ″It′s only four in the morning.″ A groan left my lips when Sephiroth answered my silent inquiry. ″Go back to sleep.″ I stopped resisting and buried my face in his chest. The scent that radiated off him was absolutely calming. He held me even closer to him and fell back asleep. I tried to follow his example, but the very thought of this intimacy was unnerving. It brought chills down my spine and made my heard race. It made butterflies flutter in my stomach. It was unbearably pleasant. ″Stop thinking and go to sleep.″ For the third time that early morning, my cheeks burned ablaze and finally complied to his commands.

When I awoke once more, the presence of Sephiroth merely linger without him. The aroma of cinnamon and pine drenched his pillow. The unwilling feeling of want tugged at me. Why did I feel this way? True to the fact that he was beautiful, but so was Cloud and Zack. There was just this persistent emotion that always led me to him. It was more than just his beauty and talent. Something that just made him... made him who he is today. Everything about him attracted me. It was so deliciously irritating.

″Awake?″ I looked up at the doorway and gaped. There was nothing I could have done to stop it. The sight of Sephiroth′s perfect body decked in nothing but a towel around the waist brought out the lust more than ever. Water still dripped down his hair and made it glisten.

He smirked at my reaction and sauntered on to the bed and nearly consumed me with his above average height. ″Se-Sephiroth...″ I managed to squeak out.

″What′s wrong?″ he inquired in a husky voice. ′Afraid?″ It was a rhetorical question. One I answered- despite of myself- with a nod. A low chuckle erupted from him. ″There is no one to blame but yourself for my actions.″ His face continued to move toward me until I felt his soft petal- like lips. There was nothing to interrupt us now. I wrapped my arms around his neck, bringing him closer to me. My body was completely laying on the bed now with Sephrioth right on top. He licked the bottom of my lip, begging for the entrance I granted without a fuss. I allowed him to explore every crevice of my mouth.

″Sephiroth,″ I moaned out when we stopped for a quick breath. ″We... We cannot...″ He captured my lips, once more- savouring the taste. He made me feel so good. So complete.

″Crap!″ Sephrioth and I broke apart. Zack stared at us with wide eyes. ″So- sorry!″ He raced out of the room, slamming the door, that Sephiroth left open, behind him.

Silence filled the air until a giggle escaped my lips. It was unintentional, but it cased to stop. I giggled and giggled and giggled. There was nothing I could do about it, even as Sephiroth gave me a silent implication of how crazy he thought I was. The general continued to stare until I finally calmed down. He held an amused expression on his face.

″Get ready. We have a guide tour us around town, today.″ Sephiroth slipped out of the room soon after. I changed out of my night clothes and walked over to the bathroom to wash up. When I was done, my three teammates and a familiar- looking girl were conversing outside by the house. The ghost of the general′s smirk lingered as he glanced at me. ″Fellix, Tifa Lockhart will be our guide for the time being.″ I did not know why it seems as though I knew her. By the expression on her face, it was obvious that she recognized me.

Tifa walked over to me with an enormous smile and without a warning, she enveloped me into an embrace. My body became completely rigid from the close contact. Why was she hugging me?! ″I missed you so much! Oh... you don′t look like the little girl I remember.″ I blinked at her in confusion. ″What′s wrong?″

″Tifa,″ Cloud started. ″Can I... Can I talk to you in private...?″ Tifa shrugged and followed him into the house.

″What did she say? It seemed like she knew you! Was she your girlfriend?″ Zack inquired with a grin. ″How come you didn′t tell me you knew her!″ A pout began to form. ″You _never_ tell me anything!″

The general did not pester me, but I knew he was curious. Then again... I, too, was curious...

By the time Cloud and Tifa returned, we set off around town. It was like I remembered- quiet and cozy. There were few times I was able to escape my torturous cage and roam these roads freely. ″Here is the hospital,″ Tifa stated, pointing at the two- story building. ″And finally, Mt. Nibel.″ I was unfamiliar with this location, but have heard about the dangerous creatures that graze the area. They were enhanced and driven crazy by an overdose of Mako. ″Hey, its′ getting late now. I think we should turn in.″ Cloud and Zack agreed with Tifa. They began to depart while Sephiroth seemed to have some unfinished business to do.

″I will check our the old mansion we passed by a while back,″ Sephiroth. ″The others dared not question the great general; instead, they disappeared down the road. ″Go back with them. I will take a while.″ I shook my head in response. ″It could be dangerous...″

″I′m follow you whether you like it or not,″ I firmly stated. He gave me a hard look, but gave in to my stubborn behaviour.

″Just be careful.″

I gave him a rare genuine smile. It felt nice just walking alongside the general. Contrary to majority belief, he was not as intimidating as they claimed. Sephiroth is actually one of the kindest people I know. There was something about him that made me feel safe and complete. It was something that was unbelievable and I want to have it always.

The two of us walked through the half opened rusted gates and into the eerie structure. There were cobwebs and dust everywhere. Sephiroth looked through several rooms and finally settled to the basement, which I accidentally discovered by falling over and crashing into a suit of armour. The secret chamber was dark, but filled with bookshelves of books. It looked like an office of some sort.

Sephiroth went over to the books and frowned. ″What is it?″ He looked at my inquiry, but spoke no words. ″Sephrioth?″ No response. His fingers began to elegantly slide books out of the shelves and sat on the chair that was behind a desk.

The more he read, the more angry he felt. I grew puzzled at his reaction and scurried toward him. ″What the Hell is this?!″ he roared. His hands were clenched tightly. ″What is this? What is this?!″ He threw the book he was reading at me. I caught it and flipped through the pages. It looked like a journal. There were countless entries, many where the names Sephiroth, Jenova, Valentine, and Lucrecia turned up.

I have finally created the perfect soldier! The child of Jenova and I! He is absolutely stunning. Very soon, Shinra will HAVE to listen to me. They will HAVE to bow down to me. The only part that truly separates him from the rest of those pathetic humans is his inhuman DNA-

I closed the journal without finishing it. Who is this person? ″Hojo... That fucking bastard made me into a monster! I′m a monster!″ He pushed everything over on the desk with murder in his eyes. ″I′ll kill him... I′ll kill them all for betraying me... Betraying... Betraying mother... Destroying her for trying to create a better world...″

Fear filled me at the thought of Sephiroth killing everyone. ″Se-Sephiroth...?″ He glared at me, but softened at my pitiful form.

″Come with me,″ he said with his hand extended toward me. ″Let us rid this world of filth and traitors.″ He walked over to me when I failed to comply. ″Only you ever understood me. Together we can purify the planet.″ My thoughts were hazed. My mind screamed for me to refuse this ridiculous offer; my heard begged me to be with him no matter what. ″Come with me...″ I gasped at how close he was. It felt so... so good to be with him. ″Love me...″ My head snapped up, looking at his glowing green eyes. His lips crashed down on to mine and his arms wrapped desperately around me. ″Mine. Mine. Mine,″ he spoke between kisses. He was so beautiful...!

″Sephiroth...″ I moaned lightly. ″Sephiroth... I... I cannot. Please... stop this.″ He ignored my pleads. ″Sephiroth... Love you... I love you...″ I suddenly felt a sharp pain in my abdomen. Blood began to pour out from between my lips. My body felt heavy... so heavy...

Sephrioth caught me before I fell. ″I will meet you in the Promised Land soon, my love,″ he said, pulling his masamune from my small frame. ″Soon...″ He placed a chaste kiss on my lips.

I drifted in and out of consciousness as he carried me away. Where was he taking me? ″Mother... I′m coming...″ Every once in a while, he would speak to her. Was he talking to the same person in the woods? ″Leave her alone, mother... She′s mine...″ At the thought of dying, I snuggled close to the general. There was nothing more I can lose, now. ″Angel... We′re almost there. You can meet my mother. She will love you...″

″Seph...″

He hushed me and with a flick of his wrist, the fire materia in his arm activated. Houses began to burn. Screams filled the ominous air. Why is he doing this? What has happened to him? This was not the Sephiroth I knew... Make it stop!

I felt him place me gently on the ground with my back against a fence. ″I′ll be back soon, my love.″ He disappeared down the road, lined with flaming buildings. I did not know how long I waited, but the next thing I knew, I was being shaken awake.

″Damn that Sephiroth...″ I heard a familiar voice say. ″Angel, wake up!″ Slowly, my eyes complied to his orders. ″Thank God...″ He slid an arm under my knee and back before lifting my body up. ″Too bad the Cure materia is with him...″ I heard Zack mutter quietly under his breath. He carried me away, similar to how Sephirtoh had.

Soon, the sight of the Mako Reactor reached my eyes. Zack climbed the rest of the mountain and into the circular metal structure. There he stood in his leather attire and masamune unsheathed.

Tifa laid motionless on the ground, but it did not matter to the almighty general. He gave me a glance and turned his back, walking into the next chamber. ″Come with me, Angel,″ were his last words.

Zack placed me gently on the cold ground. He paced over to Tifa, checking to see if she was alright.

″I hate... SOLDIERs...″ I heard her say with my Mako enhanced ears. ″They′re all gone... My friends... My family... Cloud... Where′s Cloud...?″ She sounded delusional. Zack carried her over to me. He gave me a determined look and left without a word. His buster sword was held tightly in his hands as he charged angrily up the stairs.

I looked at Tifa, wondering if she was still unwell. Painfully shifting to my side, I felt a tear in my half clotted wound. ″Tifa? Tifa, are you alright?″ She looked at me with empty eyes. ″Cloud will come soon. Please... just wait. Do not hate us... It is not Sephiroth′s fault. He has been deceived by Hojo.″

With a shake of her head, Tifa said, ″I will never hate you and Cloud, but I will never forgive him. I will never forgive Sephiroth! He stole everyone from me. If Cloud doesn′t come... you′re the only one I have left.″ I did not understand why I was so important to her. Have I not only met her a day ago ? Why is she so attached? ″You still don′t remember me, do you? You don′t even remember Cloud! I remember how you used to have a crush on him, but all he wanted to do was impress me... But that day, when you got really sick... Cloud was so worried! I′ve never seen him like that before. For half a year... Half a year we prayed for you to wake from your coma. But your parents... they said you passed away! I cried and cried and cried. Cloud...? He shut himself in his room all the time and when he finally came out... He told me he was going to join SOLDIER. I was going to lose another friend...″ New years sprung from her eyes and on to her gloved hands. ″But now... you′re back and you don′t even remember me...″

I closed my eyes, allowing the information to sink in. Was this the piece I have been missing all my life- the one mother and father had refused to speak of? ″I′m sorry... I-″ I did not finish my statement when Zack came crashing into one of the machines. ″Zack!″

He clutched his wound tightly and fought to stay conscious, but slipped away moments later. I slowly got to my feet and fell to my knees beside him to check his pulse. He was still alive. My next action was to make my way to Sephiroth. There was probably nothing I could do about his strange behaviour, but I had to try. In the direction he was going, everyone close to me was going to disappear!

By the time I reached him, he was staring at a tank filled with liquid and a... woman. The label just above her indicated that _this_ was Jenova- possibly his mother. ″Se-Sephiroth...″ He turned around and beckoned me toward him, which I did, staggering every so often. ″Please... no more,″ I spoke against his chest. ″No more pain. No more killing. I want him back! I want the man who protects me and confuses me and LOVE ME!″ Sobs began to rack through my body. ″I want it all back...″ Sephiroth said nothing, but stroked my hair absentmindedly. ″I love you...″ I said over and over again with tears dripping from my eyes.

He shifted me so that my back was against the tank. ″I love you, too.″ I smiled at his response, but a blinding pain hit me a second time. The feeling of an object ripping through my chest was unbearable. Even Sephrioth could not hold me in a standing position as he clutched his wound. When my body fell agonizingly on the cold ground, I saw Cloud with a shocked expression on his face. He did not expect to go through Sephrioth and into me with Zack′s buster sword. He did not expect me to _be_ with Sephiroth.

I felt my world fall apart and darken as my heavy eye lids shut. Every now and then, I heard Sephiroth speaking. Although I could not comprehend the words, one certain statement _did_ catch my ears. ″Tell her I love her, Strife. Good bye, my love,″ was what he said. My world swirled into nothing before I was able to realize Shinra... no, _Hojo′s _next move.


	10. Chapter Nine

Disclaimer: I do NOT own anything associated with Final Fantasy.

Chapter Nine

_I′m sorry for what I′ve done,″ I heard the voice of an angel sing. ″You have always been my sun.″ Laying motionlessly, I allowed his voice to bring me peace. ″Shining within the darkness. Brightening my sorrow.″ My eyes began to close. ″Come to me, my love. Transform yourself into a dove. Dazzling and stunning and magical. But shot... and painted crimson.″ A frown made its way to my face. ″I can see as your life fades. Drifting off in the waves. They bound you in my arms. I can see your pain filled face. Don′t die tonight. Don′t leave me tonight. Don′t die tonight.″ How did the words become so depressing? ″With a single request I will free your soul. Tell me and I will get you out of the cold. Stop this bravery act. There is no winning. Just leave yourself with me. Let me love you. Hold you. Kiss you. Kill you. Because I see you drifting off in the waves. They bound you in my arms. I can see your pain filled face. Don′t die tonight. Don′t leave me tonight. Don′t die tonight. Don′t die tonight. Don′t leave me tonight. Don′t let me kill you. Kill you. Kill you. Kiss you. Love you. Kill you...″ The voice faded and the air became tense. Murder was in the air. Someone was going to die. WAS that someone, me? Who was going to be my executioner? ″Looking for me?″ A gasp left my lips and I forced my eyes to open. Rapt eyes stared back at me behind long bangs._

I woke up screaming moments later. Why was he in my dreams? What did he want from me?

″Angel?″ I turned my head to see Zack′s silhouette in the dark. ″Angel, are you okay?″ His voice was cracked and hoarse. ″I′m so glad you′re finally awake! That bastard Hojo was tampering with you so much, I thought he′d kill you! You were in a coma for a year...″ When hearing this, I stared blankly at him. One whole year? In a coma... Why am I here in this... cage- prison. Have I done something wrong? What happened? WHAT HAPPENED?!

A scream of frustration ripped through my throat. ″I see you′re wake. _Miss _Fellix.″ I glared dangerously at the man before me. His greasy gray hair fell over his glasses. A sick smile adorned his lips. Hojo... ″If only you had told me you were a girl all along. You would have been the perfect specimen to mate with my Sephiroth.″ Mate?! Specimen? HIS Sephiroth? Who does he think he is? ″The way your body seems to adapt to the Mako and Jenova factor so well makes me all tingly inside.″

″Wait... Angel, you′re... you′re a GIRL?!″ Zack inquired with disbelief in his tone. ″I always just thought you were gay...″ he muttered as an after thought.

″I am sorry for not telling you...″

Hojo suddenly let out a burst of maniacal laughter. ″Enough with the chit chat! Since you′re awake, my experiments can finally begin!″

When I eventually returned to my cell, the two guards that had accompanied me went to the cubicle on Zack′s other side. The figure was limp and one of the men had to drag him off.

″Cloud...″ Zack whispered. So Cloud Strife had gotten captured as well...

From here, the poor blonde′s screams were heard. It brought sympathy and pity out of me. No one deserved to be tortured like this.

Soon, hours turned into days and days blurred into weeks. I did not know how long I was in there, but nothing has changed except for the chemical and chemical doses that were injected into me. Cloud′s screams still echo through the halls and it seems that only Zack has his spirit. There seemed to be no hope. Nothing- no one- to save us. Hojo was relentless, always curious to learn more. Experiments after experiments, he would always take note.

Memories of prior events soon came back to me. I remembered how Sephiroth was traumatized by Hojo′s journal and how he completely lost it. I remembered the searing pain of his masamune. The thing that was still vague was the battle inside the reactor. From what Cloud told Zack who, in turn, told me, Sephiroth was dead. It was not until now did I realize how much he meant to me. It was peculiar. Is this feeling one would feel for their idol? Hate? Longing? Or something completely different? Did I miss him? Feel lost without him? Did I possibly... love him? Who was he to make me feel so warm inside?

It seems that lately, he was the only one I think about . Thoughts of him kept me sane. Although it is working thus far, at times I can hear his voice in my mind; other times I can hear a woman′s voice. When Hojo inquired about any strange symptoms, It old him about the voice I hear and he merely laugh at my clinging sanity. He said it was normal; that nothing was wrong with me. How can I trust him after all he has done? Should I blame him for where I am now? If he had not burned Nibelheim ablaze, Hojo would not have gotten hold of me like this. He would still be here to protect me instead being dead, taking everything I loved with him.

When I think about this, I would never come up with an answer. Beyond this, it irks me on the reasons why Shinra allows this crazed man to perform his experiments. Why? What will they gain- more people who is perfect like Sephiroth? What is the possibility? What makes him think the chemicals are what makes him so strong? Can it not be the work of God- the Planet? The Mako itself is enough to upgrade normal human beings to near- perfect soldiers. Is Hojo not satisfied with its single result? Does he truly need to break a human being to create a spectacular army?

A thought suddenly rushed into me. What is Sephiroth was not Hojo′s son; not Jenova′s son? What if Hojo set everything up, know what would have happened, but miscalculated and lose his first God- like specimen. Now, he is trying everything he can to reform a clone of Sephiroth. This should be an improbably mission. No one can possibly be another Sephiroth. Impossible Impossible! Impossible!!

Years have probably passed by and the last of my sanity was fading. No longer did I try to respond to Zack′s attempts to bring me back to reality. I can always see _him _in my mind. He was all that matters. Buy the only way to see him is to close my eyes and lose myself, so I would ignore everything around me. Nothing else mattered. Nothing.

He would always speak of the Promised Land- something I do not understand. What is so great about that place? Is it the place he is in, now? Where everything is white- bright, but... there was also the feeling of nothingness. Every once in a while, a green streak would be visible- the life stream. It was what kept the Planet alive. It was also what Mako was made of. Shinra had processed the life stream and created Mako with it. This was how cruel they were. To take away the very Planet′s life for their own profits- money and fame. Perhaps it _is better_ if they all perish if this is how they treat life.

″Hey,″ I heard Zack mutter to me. It brought me back to reality, something I have not experienced in what seemed like forever. ″Can you hear me...?″ My neck moved, tilting my head enough for him to see I was still alive. ″I think I can manage to get us out, but you have to help me.″ My mind was beginning to drift again. ″Hey!″ I snapped my eyes opened and made an effort to move toward him. ″Do you think you have enough strength to get up and walk?″

I let a moan leave my lips. This was not something I wanted to do, but I _did_ want to get out of this uncomfortable cage. With all the energy and rationality I possess, I slowly got to my feet. Within seconds, I fell to my knees, but preserved. It was the only practical thing I could do. I slipped to my feel, once more, attempting to use my abused and idled legs. Steadying myself in an upward position. I maintained that posture for a moment before taking a step forward. It felt as if I was an infant taking my first step.

After exercising my legs, I felt myself feel more free and have more control. I heard Zack persuading Cloud after realizing I was alright. Soon, my body settled itself back down in a corner. The familiar feeling of Sephiroth came by me.

″Don′t allow Hojo to bound you- to make you feel what I have,″ he spoke. ″Follow Zack. He will be the key to your freedom.″

With a deep breath, I opened my eyes and saw that Zack had somehow broken his chains and picked the lock of his cell. He did the same to Cloud and was now in front of me. I pulled at the bindings, feeling it shatter at my strength. Zack grinned and beckoned me to follow him. He had an arm around Cloud′s waist with the blonde′s arm slung on his shoulder. The journey out of the building was nearly uneventful. We were undiscovered until a guard spotted us on the way to his coffee break. Our legs moved quickly with our boots pounding against the hard concrete floor. We managed to depart the building and make it half way through the court yard, but was soon encountered by a handful of cadets. They attacked us with their untainted form. The Mako that surged within Zack and I allowed us to dodge every one of their attempts with utmost ease.

Soon, we were out of range from Shinra. I rested my tattered form against a tree with Cloud by my side; while Zack was trying to catch us a ride. My thoughts drifted off. Images of Sephiroth, Hojo, Jenova, Zack, Sephiroth, Cloud, mother and father, Sephiroth, and... Sephiroth. Even now, in this dire moment, I could not get him out of my head. It frustrated me how he was able to plague me through death. What if it was not his fault? What if it was mine? Could I not let him go? Is that why he was everywhere every minute- every second?

When I was brought back to reality, I realized I no longer sat on the lumpy forest ground. Instead, I was on the back of a truck with Zack talking about where we were going to be after this.

″We can be mercenaries and Angel can act as the housewife,″ he said with a chuckle. ″Maybe we can both marry her and be a big happy family!″ This was probably the main reason why I love him so much, he can always joke around and lighten my spirit. ″Oh! Then we can have a hot threesome together! We′ll have mini Angels and Clouds. Of course... the handsomest are would be... mini me!″

The driver laughed at Zack′s fantasy . It was so far fetch, but a heart warming thought. ″Dream on! I highly doubt that pretty girl will end up with you!″

″Hey! What′s wrong with me? I′m plenty good!″ Zack argued with the driver′s perspective. ″Ha! I′ll be a businessman, then! I′ll be rich! Then, any girl will just swarm around me! Cloud can be my personal assassin and Angel can be my trophy wife!″ An evil laugh erupted from his throat.

″You... idiot,″ I managed to spit out .

Zack gave me a shocked look, but quickly grinned. ″Yay! You′re awake! We can start our threesome, now! I′m sure Cloud won′t mind if I-″ He suddenly stopped and the carefree look on him dissipated. ″Cloud, watch out!″ he lunged across the truck and pushed the motionless man away from a shower of bullets.

With difficulty, I lifted my head and looked at the sky that was invaded by a Shinra helicopter. There were a couple of familiar faces in the vehicle, but the names seem to have slipped my mind.

″Hey, old man! Thanks for the ride, but I don′t want you involve int his!″ Zack jumped off the car that recently halted and dragged Cloud off. ″Sorry Angel, but think you can crawl over so I can help you off?″ Lazily, I wormed my way to the other side of the truck and fell limp. I felt Zack carefully pull- me out. When my feet touched the ground, I steadied myself. Bullets were heard as they hit the back of the truck. ″Come on!″ We ran once more. There as no telling where we were going to end up. These parts were entirely unfamiliar to me.

Not long after our frenzy attempt to get away, large jeeps made their way toward us. It was near impossible to get away, especially when the cars were custom made for keeping up to SOLDIERs. They soon drove us toward a cliff where there was nowhere to go. Fighting was probably the only thing we can do now.

Zack placed Cloud lightly on the ground and faced the Turks alone. ″Take care of Cloud!″ He dodged a bullet as he charged at our foes. Zack did not just allow himself to be a moving target, instead, he attacked with his buster sword. His hits were fatal and left his opponents with severe wounds or dead. It seemed as if he was going to single handedly defeat the Turks, but reinforcements came and before either of us were about to make sense of the situation, Zack fell to his knees with bullet would everywhere.

″Zack!″ I screamed, scrambling to my legs that had refused to move. I stumbled over to him and collapsed by his side. No... he cannot die! This cannot be happening! ″Zack!″

″Miss Fellix, I advise you to come with us peacefully or we will use any necessary means to bring you back,″ one of them said. I shook my head. I would rather die than go back to being a lab rat for that bastard. ″That is not a smart decision.″ He grabbed my arm and dragged me, but I struggled against his grip. When that was unsuccessful, I bit him. He roared in pain and I was able to escape. I ran back to Zack who was still clinging on to the remainders of his life .

″Do not die!″ I cried. The Turks made their way toward me with menacing auras. ″Zack! Zack...″

″Take care...″ he choked out with blood pouring from his lips. ″I′ll always be with the two of you... Remember... remember that...″with that said, his body fell limp against mine. Tears poured from my eyes. He was gone. He was truly dead, now. Who is going to take once of us now? Zack was like the older brother I never had, but always longed for.

″You fucking bastards!″ With the last of my strength, I charged at them with anger. They were all caught by surprise. After a few minutes, my energy depleted, but my efforts were not in vain. Many Turks died in my rage, but the ones left were unaware of my tired state and landed a strong kick to my side. I felt myself soar into the air, but I did not land on anything like I thought I would. Instead, I continued to fly... no, not fly. Fall. I was falling down the cliff.

″No... Not yet,″ I heard his voice in my head, but it was fading. Everything was fading. There was only one conclusion to this- I was dying.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

I hope everyone liked this story because this is the end, but there will be a sequel. It is not certain that I will be able to finish that. I will try.

Thank you all reviewers. To that particular person who didn′t like it, I′m sorry for that. I would also appreciate a comment on why you thought it was Mary- Sue. Thank you again.

Currently, I have another story waiting to be finished before I could do the continuation on this.

I hope some of you like Shugo Chara! and Ikuto (with OC) because that will be the center of attention in the fanfic.


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